40 | JANUARY 25 • 2024

living in hotels. Listening to
their experiences was import-
ant for both the Israelis and
Americans.
“We gave them strength
and hugs. They couldn’t
believe that we came,” Morris
said. “They were so apprecia-
tive. They didn’t realize how
affected Americans were.”
Dr. Adina Shmidman,
director of the OU’s Women’s
Initiative, who led the mis-
sion, said, “The women of
Israel led us into their hearts
and spaces. They had been
feeling so isolated.”
The OU group was espe-
cially grateful to help eight
young women and their fam-
ilies commemorate their bas
mitzvahs that were canceled
due to the Hamas attack. The
OU women leaders joined
volunteer efforts to help sol-
diers — providing and pack-
ing items requested by their
battalions — warm sweat-
shirts for those stationed in
cold regions and special items
for women soldiers. They
prayed together, baked chal-
lahs with them and served
meals.

PROUD IDF MOM
Nadel, the mother of two
IDF soldiers, said, “I am
incredibly proud of all our
children. They are engag-
ing in an activity that our
great-grandparents could have
only dreamed of — protecting
our homeland … To have two
children in the army, to have
all of our children here in the
army, means to be in a con-
stant state of prayer that each
and every one of them returns
home speedily and safely.
“There was a moment that
captured the import of the
mission for me,” Nadel said.
“We were on an army base

in the South, a communica-
tion command center that
had been at the epicenter of
the battle on Oct. 7. Many
of the soldiers there, young
women, were survivors of that
day. As we distributed cards
of encouragement that had
been written by our commu-
nity members, one of these
young soldiers began to cry.
‘I thought,’ she said, ‘you had
forgotten us.’

“Her comment taught me
that even the seemingly small
gestures — letters, WhatsApp
check-in notes and batches
of chocolate chip cookies —
serve as sources of encour-
agement and strength,” Nadel
said. “It also reminded me of
our obligation to bear witness
to the stories of survival we
had been told as well as salute
the resilience of our people
who, time and again, rise up
in the face of tragedy to fight
the battles that need to be
fought, and then rebuild.”

According to Shmidman,
the OU group remains in con-

tact with several communities
they visited on their mission.
The women leaders have con-
tinued to collect donations
and help with programs in
Israel, as well as hosting one
of the Israeli women they met
during the mission.
“This trip was very pow-
erful and transformative,”
Morris said. “It reminded us
that Israelis need to feel our
support. They do not want to
be forgotten as they continue
to deal with the ramifications
of the war on a daily basis,
so that Jews everywhere can
have a homeland to come
back to.”
She urged American Jews to
continue outreach to support
Israelis. “We have found that
even our phone calls, emails,
WhatsApp messages to our
family and friends in Israel,
and letters to the soldiers and
people of Israel are so sup-
portive and meaningful.”
To view a video about the
OU mission, ouwomen.org/
missionreflection/.


Ariella Nadel
and Adina
Morris, both of
Young Israel of
Southfield, with
gifts for bas mitz-
vah girls in Israel.

continued from page 38

ERETZ

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