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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