APRIL 4 • 2024 | 19
in my life, and it highlights
just how awful, terrible and
deeply painful the attack at
Nova was.
Rami became a go-to
number (he pulled out his
phone to show the 4,000
messages) on that fateful day
for young men and women
hiding in trenches, behind
trees and under dead bodies,
to reach out beseeching to
be rescued, and Rami did
just that. Going back and
forth, time and again, each
time directly into the line of
terrorist fire.
Walking through Nova, the
heart is shattered again and
again and again as [photos of]
the bright young faces look
back at you, all taken way
too soon, murdered in cold
blood, for the crime of being
Jewish and wanting to live
and dance.
After, we headed to
Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. The
story of Kerem Shalom is
uplifting. Dudi, a member
of the kibbutz security force,
described the battle he and a
team of eight other security
members waged against
Hamas terrorists.
Tragically, two members
of the team were killed, each
leaving behind wives and
children, and one member of
the kibbutz was badly injured;
but, otherwise, the kibbutz
members all survived, without
any hostages taken.
That evening, our group
had dinner with an elite IDF
unit. We sponsored a BBQ
dinner for a group of 200
soldiers. They were so deeply
appreciative of the love and
good food we provided.
OUR MISSION
CONTINUES
I worried that helping on
a farm would not be very
meaningful (or helpful), but
I was wrong. The farmer told
us that 90% of his workforce
has been missing for the past
five months, and volunteers
are critical for his work. He
told us that the strawberries
we’d pick would be on the
shelves in stores later that day.
We headed to Tel Saki, an
army base in the north that
has been out of use since the
Yom Kippur War but was
reopened after Oct. 7 due
to the attacks from Lebanon
and Syria. The soldiers were
thrilled to receive a carefully
assembled package focused
on protecting them from the
cold weather in the north.
One of the under-focused
aspects of this war is the
thousands of displaced
families from the northern
and southern borders. Life
has been miserable for
them. Families that lived in
comfortable homes are now
crammed into a single hotel
room.
In Tiveriah (Tiberias), we
met with some 250 families
dislocated from their homes
in Kiryat Shmoneh. Many had
no time at all to pack properly
before leaving. We were able
to bring added joy to the
children by bringing costumes
for Purim. Naturally, we
sang and danced together
because that’s what Jews who
are complete strangers do in
Israel.
continued on page 20
LEFT: Igal Shaham and
Annette Berenholtz deliver
cards and gifts to IDF soldiers.
Cards were sent by Cheder
Lubavitch, Farber Day School
and Hillel Day School children.
BELOW: Meeting with some
of the thousands of displaced
families and providing Purim
costumes for the children.