OCTOBER 3 • 2024 | 27
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and Americans volunteered to hold
up a tallis to make a chuppah, while
others prepared to welcome them
back into the room with traditional
songs. All language barriers fell away
as we sang and danced together for
this completely joyous capstone to
the evening, marking our transition
from grief to celebration in a deeply
Jewish way!
Reflecting on the event, I’m struck
by the urgency to create more spac-
es where American Jews can freely
and openly discuss Israel. There is
a profound need for environments
that allow individuals to process their
emotions and questions without fear
of judgment or dismissal. That need
is not always being met in our exist-
ing institutions.
Personally, this event brought me
a sense of connection to Israel that
I’ve been yearning for since Oct. 7.
While I haven’t been able to travel to
Israel due to family obligations and
financial constraints, hosting these
Israeli social entrepreneurs felt like
a taste of Israel that I desperately
needed. This delegation represented
the best of Israel — those who, in
the face of unspeakable and horrific
tragedy, have emerged with purpose
to spread light through loving action.
Whether it’s mobilizing civil leader-
ship to reimagine the future of the
Gaza Envelope, building a one-stop
women’s health center or pairing
struggling business owners with sea-
soned mentors, these entrepreneurs
are spearheading innovative projects
that are reshaping their region in
the wake of immense trauma. They
reminded me what it feels like to
love Israel’s infinite complexity with
unconditional love.
According to group leaders: “We
traveled back to Israel with an under-
standing of how Oct. 7 has profound-
ly impacted the American Jewish
community, of the amazing diversity
and a model for how committed Jews
of different denominations/approach-
es don’t just co-exist but cooperate
and have deep respect for each other
… There was so much celebration
and joy. It was such a special oppor-
tunity for them to see a really power-
ful moment, for them to see the way
in which a fully committed Jew can
meet someone non-Jewish and their
lives can naturally be bound together.
It was a really important moment for
them to see and experience.”
I often describe Jewish identity as
a puzzle made up of many pieces —
our values, roles and experiences. As
American Jews, it’s not always simple
to feel connected to the “Israel piece.”
Over the past year, as a rabbi work-
ing with young adults, I’ve seen how
the realities of war challenge their
sense of Jewish identity, making it
difficult to keep that piece secure.
But through events like this, where
Israeli voices and experiences are at
the forefront, I’m reminded of how
essential Israel is, not just to my
identity, but to who we are as a com-
munity.
This gathering also underscored
the Jewish strength of holding both
deep grief and profound joy at the
same time. As Rabbi Alan Lew
writes in This Is Real and You Are
Completely Unprepared: “Joy is a deep
release of the soul, and it includes
death and pain. Joy is any feeling
fully felt, any experience we give our
whole being to. We are conditioned
to choose pleasure and to reject pain,
but the truth is, any moment of our
life fully inhabited, any feeling fully
felt, any immersion in the full depth
of life, can be the source of deep joy.”
What we witnessed was more than
just an exchange of ideas; it was the
embodiment of what it means to be
Jewish today — with joy. To hold
onto grief, to celebrate joy and to
build community even in the face
of overwhelming challenges. In that
sense, the work we are doing at The
Well, and the work these Israeli social
entrepreneurs are doing in their
communities, is one and the same:
building bridges that allow us to heal,
to connect and to continue forward
together.
And in holding Israel with love
and moral clarity, as was so evident
in the stories and work of our guests,
there is a path forward toward peace,
understanding and even redemption.
It’s a journey worth undertaking,
despite the pain, because of the
immense potential for joy and life
that lies ahead.
Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh is executive director
of The Well.
Even during an evening
recalling trauma and our
struggle, the group found
joy in being together.
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