OUR COMMUNITY

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ON THE COVER

16 | JANUARY 25 • 2024 J
N

500 Hamas terrorists invaded 
this peaceful community, killing 
120 individuals and kidnapping 
24 others. 
Our guide, Lotan Pinyan, 
described his personal experi-
ence as a member of the kib-
butz, recalling the murder of his 
wife’s parents on that terrible 
morning. He shared a powerful 
message with us, saying: “We 
have lost everything. But we are 
Jews, and we will rebuild our 
lives better than before. We have 
to, for the sake of our children.
” 
His children expressed to him 
an incredible message, as the 
kibbutz remains in shambles 
with hundreds of buildings 
destroyed and deserted that 

“home is wherever the family 
lives.
”
These messages capture the 
extraordinary spirit of the Israeli 
people, including the children, 
who for the past three months 
have drawn from a deep well of 
resilience and determination. 
We were all moved by the 
sincere appreciation from 
everyone we met, from the 
families of the hostages to the 
cab drivers and hotel staff. Their 
graciousness, together with 
their strength and courage, was 
nothing short of extraordinary.
Israel has faced the greatest 
atrocity in its history and is now 
embattled with a ruthless and 
amoral enemy — a fact that 

“I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE 

OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE BEEN 

A PART OF THIS SOLIDARITY 

MISSION AND TO HAVE WITNESSED 

FIRSTHAND THE STRENGTH AND 

DETERMINATION OF THE ISRAELI 

PEOPLE. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE THAT 

HAS CHANGED ME FOREVER, AND 

I CARRY WITH ME THE STORIES 

OF THOSE I MET AS A SOURCE OF 

INSPIRATION AND HOPE.” 

— MATT RAN, SOLIDARITY MISSION PARTICIPANT

 Oren Stern (center), chair of the Lester 
Ambassador Program, with Mission 
participants Rich Broder 
and Ron Solish

An installation at 
Hostage Square in 
Tel Aviv

The father of 
Omri Ram, 
a victim of 
Oct. 7, with 
his son’s 
surfboard.