APRIL 4 • 2024 | 17
J
N
continued on page 18
A
delegation of 20
people from Bais
Chabad of West
Bloomfield (members and
friends) traveled to Israel
on a solidarity mission from
March 3-10, led by me. We
were joined by
20 others from
Chabad houses
in Westchester
and Midsuffolk,
New York, as
well as a group
from Bethesda,
Maryland.
The six-
day mission
was focused primarily on
meeting with as many people
as possible and sharing
love, support and gifts. We
traveled to both the southern
and northern borders to
meet with soldiers, displaced
families and residents of cities
most affected by the Oct. 7
terror attack and subsequent
war with Hamas.
The following is parts of the
diary I wrote leading up to
and during the trip.
PREPARING TO GO
For this trip, I’m bringing
boots.
I’ve been to Israel many
times. I went on Birthright,
studied in yeshivah there,
led groups there, traveled to
weddings there, but never
have I gone with a suitcase
full of boots.
For that matter, never have
I gone with blankets, sweaters,
handwritten cards from
local schoolchildren in three
languages, Tzitzit sets, gifts,
funds and an endless amount
of love from our community
that no suitcase can contain.
Having watched from the
distance for the past few
months the pain, the heroism
and the sacrifice, I am happy
to be able to go in person and
help out in a small way.
If a group of young men
protecting Israel’s northern
border need (American)
boots, then I am honored to
bring them, along with my
love, admiration and support.
DAY 1 REFLECTIONS:
Ben Gurion Airport was
emptier than I’ve ever seen
it, a reminder of how critical
this visit is. After a quick
breakfast, our first stop was to
Tel Hashomer Hospital.
There we met with Yula,
who hid with her two
children in a compartment
under her bedroom floor in
Kfar Aza, while terrorists
literally sat on the furniture
right above her, laughed, stole
and ransacked, before setting
her house ablaze. Yula and
her kids survived. Her son is
having his bar mitzvah soon.
We also saw Shoval, who
was badly injured and lost a
dear friend while fighting in
Gaza. When he awoke from
his injury, he insisted that
he would be at his friend’s
funeral, no matter what.
We met Nava, a quiet girl
who was held hostage in
Gaza for 55 days and is still
recovering from injuries, and
still has friends in captivity.
Our next stop was to Kikar
Hachatufim (insane that
a country has a “Hostage
Square”) where so many
beautiful monuments pay
tribute to the 134 men,
women and children still in
captivity. A giant clock at the
entrance reminds everyone
how many seconds each
hostage has been in hell.
From there we went to
the Soldiers Save Lives
warehouse. After David
Newman was killed at the
Nova Festival, his friend
Jacob, who identified David’s
body because he was wearing
the shirt he lent him, was
determined to “just do
something.”
Well, that “something” is
Rabbi
Shneur
Silberberg
Special to the
Jewish News
Rabbi Silberberg with two soldiers fighting in Gaza, who came to meet
him to receive Tzitzit and other materials. The Tzitzit were prepared by
students from Hillel Day School, Frankel Jewish Academy and BBYO.
Hosting a unit of 200 IDF soldiers
for a BBQ dinner with delicious food
followed by singing and dancing.