KELLY ELO
WHEN MAGEN DAVID FIRST ANNOUNCED A SOLIDARITY TRIP TO ISRAEL WOULD BE COORDINATED I FELT AN OBLIGATION TO GO AND BE A PART OF GIVING BACK. AS A MOTHER WITH FOUR CHILDREN AND A FULL TIME JOB IT WASN’T EASY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, BUT I AM GRATEFUL THAT I DID, THE TRIP CHANGED ME IN SO MANY WAYS, AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SHARING MY EXPERIENCE.
Immediately upon landing in Israel, I felt that indescribable feeling that only Israel can bring, a feeling of home and safety. Naturally our first stop was the Kotel, and on our way there we began what would be a trip filled with hesed. A message was sent to our group that there was a community boy, a lone soldier, who was based at the Kotel and did not have a safety vest. So, our group secured a vest and were able to hand deliver it to him and see first hand how we were able to help. It’s hard to put into words the feeling of being at the Kotel that night. I’ve prayed there many times, but this time had a different meaning.
Over the course of the week we visited a lot of locations. We began the week visiting the United Hatzolah of Israel. We learned about the essential role United Hatzalah plays in Israel each and every day and had the honor of hearing Aryeh Learner’s heart wrenching experience on October 7th. With a superhuman effort he managed to save countless lives that day, and despite that he still wished he was able to go back and save more. In honor of his heroes efforts, the Magen David Solidarity mission donated an Ambucycle in his name. His story left us speechless as we headed to the Sderot police station, except it wasn’t the police station because where it once was, stood a pile of dust and rubble, and a single Israeli flag to mark the lives lost. An officer shared his story of survival from that dark day, how he lost many of his friends and colleagues, as terrorists took over the police station. Everyone from Sderot had to be relocated. A television was donated for the new police station being rebuilt and Tehillim books and Tefillin were given to a resident who refused to leave his home.
We had the privilege of meeting with Zaka members who traveled with us to the heart of the destruction, Kfar Aza, and the Nova Festival site. Members of Zaka have spent numerous hours to ensure every Jew has a proper burial, their work is selfless. A donation to Zaka was made so their efforts can be continued. Kfar Aza is literally right at the border, simply separated from Gaza by a metal gate. En route to the kibbutz and the festival we made stops along the way to bear witness to the destruction that occurred. Burnt cars piled high on the side of the road, the roads leading us there were still streaked with the remnants from those trying to escape. As we entered Kfar Aza and the festival with Zaka we saw the grounds that had been infiltrated by terrorists and felt the pain of our brothers and sisters who once lived happily in their homes. Nova took place in an empty field, and the participants had nowhere to hide or go. At the site, we met with many officers and gave out tehillim and tzizits. We planned on going to Kfar Beeri but at the time we couldn’t because the area was not safe. Instead, we went to an army base, gave out letters, and fed our beautiful soldiers. They were returning from Gaza, starved. Our feeling of seeing our soldiers hopeful and happy as they returned from Gaza served to counteract all the devastation we had experienced that morning. The emunah of those standing on the front lines was greater than one can imagine.
After witnessing the destruction, the aim of the rest of the week was to help and aid as much as we could. We visited Barzilay Hospital where we held a challah bake with doctors, nurses, and moms who lost their children. All through the event we witnessed moms crying for the safe return of their boys in Gaza, and moms praying for all of Am Yisrael. We visited more army bases to go and support our soldiers. We spoke with them, listened to them, hosted BBQ’s for them, sang with them, and gave them tzitzit and tehillim, whatever we could do to provide them with simcha and hope in this difficult time. We had the opportunity to sponsor a wedding near the West Bank. With the area being dangerous the bride’s family was not going to be able to make it to the wedding. We secured them a bulletproof van and helped them arrive and return safely to the wedding and surprised the bride with her family. We gifted the groom with a Jewish star necklace and brand new pair of tefillin. It was an experience none of us will ever forget. The simcha of this wedding, filled us with an inner sense of courage, witnessing the start of a new life, a new family, a Jewish home, was the perfect way to show that Am Yisrael will always prevail.
We visited the orphans, Gai and Roi, and their adopted family. We gave the babies gifts and had the honor of hearing their survival stories from the dreadful day. We visited Ariel Zohar at the arayat of his family. We were able to sponsor Sefer Bereshit for the Sefer Torah being written in his family’s memory. The Magen David 7th grade boys sponsored tefillin for him and gifts in honor of his bar mitzvah.
“Words cannot express how much I love you all. I feel so blessed and honored to be given the opportunity to be part of such an amazing group. I learned so much from all of you incredible people. This was the truest form of hesed. I admire every single one of you! Thank you is not enough. My heart will always be connected to all of yours. We have shared the horrors together, and also saw true resilience of our nation. Am Israel Chai!”
Mrs. Rochelle Mansour
On our last day of the mission we hosted a carnival for the displaced families from Kfar Aza. We gifted backpacks, water bottles, bracelets, etc. to the children of Kfar Aza. We really had an amazing opportunity to sit with them and connect with them. They sat with us and shared their personal experiences from that day, and we really were able to feel and bond with them.
This trip has changed all of us in ways that are difficult to describe. At times, it was unbearable to witness the destruction but at the center of this heartbreaking tragedy are the families who lost so much. It was a necessity for all of us to come to Israel and be with the soldiers, the survivors, our Jewish family in Israel, to grieve with them and to help them in the best way that we possibly could. The Magen David Solidarity mission and many members of the trip donated vehicles, televisions, tzizit, tehilim books, gifts and toys for children, etc. Being in Israel has shown all of us that in the face of tragedy and in the aftermath of such a brutal attack on our people, we will always come out stronger, and more united than ever. Am Yisrael Chai!
As I begin to reflect and process all that we saw and felt this past week, I’m just so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity. Thank you all! It was an honor and a privilege to have shared this life changing experience with all of you, my Israel family! We cried, we laughed, we sang, we danced, we listened, we embraced, we loved, we cared and together we made a difference. We heard the most horrific testimonies, painful stories but through all the devastation we found so much inspiration. There was a common thread amongst all those we met from the released hostages, to the wounded warriors, active fighters, volunteers and first responders. They all shared a sense of strength, resilience, bravery, humility, emunah and a sense of responsibility and care for one another. I’ve never been more proud to be a part of Am Yisrael! There’s a long road ahead and still so much more to be done but I know that together with Hashem’s help “the flowers will bloom gain.” Wishing you a Shabbat shalom! Am yisrael Chai!
Norma Chehebar
Our Mission Isn’t Over…
As I sit on the plane trying to take it all in.
How to convey what we saw; what we heard
It is hard to describe and to put into words.
I cried cries I have never cried before,
As we saw the horrors and destruction the world
chooses to ignore.
Walking through the kibbutzim that once looked like a dream, with flowers and sunsets and pots filled with greens.
Bullet holes everywhere as we walked through the door
Death and destruction, everything thrown to the floor.
We can still see the beautiful lives they once lived,
Full pantries, siddurim, and games for the kids.
And now what’s left are homes burned to the ground,
All we see are shreds of a family once safe and sound.
We met Maya and Itay who told us about their time in captivity;
There were no tears, just love and positivity.
Bones were broken; but faith was strong,
These are the people to whom we belong.
Badly wounded, starving and threatened with knives
Secret letters to each other helped keep them alive.
Hamas made them believe their people didnt care,
Imagine their surprise when they saw their pictures
plastered everywhere.
As Itay was freed, cousin Omer is left alone.
Together we prayed for them all to come home!
We met Mia Shem, a true symbol of hope,
Overwhelmed by emotion I could barely cope
We cried and we hugged, not believing she was real
With mom by her side, and strength made of steel.
We told her we prayed for her. Every day, Everywhere.
So touched, she said “I really felt it when I was there”
For her safe return, We Thank you Hashem!
Mia assured us not to worry, for “We will all dance again!”
The soldiers told us their heroic tales,
Proving that our nation will always prevail.
Taking bullets for us, each and every day,
Bullet wounds and missing limbs is the price they are willing to pay.
There was Gaya, the young medic who jumped into the fire,
To save her fellow soldiers with such strong desire.
Israel, a soldier who was ready to accept his death,
But instead was saved by his friend with incredible strength.
Their bodies were injured but they held their heads high,
As we sang all together “Am yisrael Chai.”
The next day for me was the hardest of all,
As we met the policemen who saved the little girls.
The cries of a grandmother were so hard to bear,
Her tears filled with so much loss and despair.
We listened as he recounted what happened,
On that dreadful day — October 7.
Leaving his own family, he did not know what was in store
Was it a lone terrorist or a few more?
To his horror, he saw all the cars with bullets right through;
The worst nightmare was coming true.
Amongst all the bullets, bombs and grenades,
He heard the cries of a young girl he knew he had to save.
He got to the car on his own two feet,
Found the little girl with her baby sister hiding under the seat.
He picked up the girls and he ran and ran,
Taking cover wherever he can.
He got them to safety and continued to fight,
A story of heroism and incredible might!
Despite all the pain and the sorrow, spirits run high,
Grateful to be Jewish; Our hearts bursting with pride.
In the past, we have come to Israel to see the land,
But this time we came for the people; to connect, and stand hand in hand.
From the wedding to bar mitzvahs and everything in between,
The week was filled with happiness and joy that could not be foreseen
We sang, oh we sang and we danced, how we danced!
We hugged and we loved and our lives have been enhanced.
Our smiles are wide, our bonds are strong
So blessed that to Am Yisrael we belong!
But our mission isn’t over, it will never be.
We owe it to our people, for it is why we live free.
We will strengthen our prayers, we will not live in fear,
To give strength to our brothers and sisters we hold dear.
We must retell the stories. We must honor and share.
We will make sure their voices are heard everywhere!
For the people of Israel who continue to fight,
We will love one and other and spread love and light.
By Reggie Tawil
Thank you all for including Hymie and me on this memorable trip. It’s an amazing thing of course to feel a sense of identity as we are all part of a truly great community, but it’s even a greater feeling to feel the pull towards fellow Jews within an even greater Jewish nation. Religious — not religious — I felt inspired by so many new individuals in my life who carry the Jewish trait of loyalty, pride and resilience. I told Rimon’s sister-in-law Yael (the one from Berkeley College) that her kindness and loyalty towards Rimon shone through, and I felt as if I’d known her for a lifetime. There was also the police lady who fought like a Macabee, the soldiers who anticipate a new leg so they can go back on the front lines, the tough love of a single mother living on the border of Gaza who listened to her ‘intuition’ and forbade her daughter to go to the Nova Festival and the respect that her daughter had to actually stay home and not beg or sneak out. I was inspired by the mother of the bat mitzvah girl who gave her little daughters knives to fight till the end. Yossi’s haunted look as he sacrifices his sanity to do the work of Zaka — work that most of us would never, ever do will stay with me forever.
Post October 7, friends and strangers are continually drawn even closer together daily. These are boundary shattering times. Praying that this all leads to an end to suffering and the arrival of mashiach, G-d willing soon. Am Yisrael Chai.
Marlene Mamiye
Kelly Elo is an amazing mom of 4 kids and the director of related services at MDY.
