Federation Leads Young Professionals Trip to Israel

Over the past Chanukah and New Year, a group of young leadership professionals left Atlanta for Israel to offer their volunteer services. The objective of the trip was to provide services that were needed for the Jews who were displaced because of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

This trip was organized by the Young Leadership Division at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and it offered invitations to local young adults, but some people could or would not go because of the hostilities that still were going on. It resulted in 19 people going to Israel to volunteer in its time of need. The group volunteered around Israel, with special attention on Kibbutz Nachal Oz, a new partnership community for the Federation, that was attacked in the South on Oct. 7. After the attack on Nachal Oz, families temporarily relocated to Mishmar Haemek and Netivot, two kibbutzim in the Federation’s partnership region of Yokneam and Megiddo.

While the Federation offered a slight stipend, the volunteers paid for most of their travel, which turned out to be complicated because the only airline traveling to Israel was El Al. Volunteer Bari Beilinson said it took her 24 hours to get to Tel Aviv when it usually takes 16 hours. Once in Israel, the group’s home base was in Tel Aviv.

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Participants pose during the furniture sorting volunteering.

The volunteers came to Israel to work, and they did. They volunteered to work on various kibbutzim — on the farms, picking tomatoes in a giant greenhouse near Gaza, and mulching and planting. They worked at several public health facilities planting and weeding, and dealt with a huge truckload of mulch used around the facility and for planting lemon trees. They also volunteered to work with small organizations not associated with the government that support mental health facilities. They volunteered at a furniture depot that provides furniture to the families who were displaced by the war. The donated furniture was stored in a giant warehouse 40 minutes from Tel Aviv where furniture and kitchen equipment could be dropped off by those donating and pickled up by the families in need.

The volunteers felt that they were doing meaningful work. In fact, several Israelis told the group that they were helping to fill major gaps in society, since most Israelis were pulled away from their jobs to serve in the reserves. Because farming is an essential activity for Israel, the work is necessary and, so, the volunteers heard again and again from Israelis their gratitude for Americans taking time off, flying halfway around the world to a war zone to physically serve them in their time of need.

The group visited the Nahal Oz tent set up at Hostages Square to hear stories from kibbutz community members and pay tribute to the victims and remaining hostages.

On one of the days, the group was driven to kibbutz Nachal Oz which was raided by the terrorists near the edge of Gaza. Five people from the kibbutz were still hostages and two had been returned. The kibbutz was not open to the public because it was close to the Gaza border, and it was still considered an active military location. Beilinson said that the kibbutz was not very big, containing 415 kibbutz members, yet since the war, no one is currently living there. Most of the houses were still standing. However, you could see the scattered bullet holes in the homes and the destruction in the houses. There were pictures of the hostages posted everywhere, as well as the photos of those who were killed. And everywhere there were signs that said, “Bring them home.”

Beilinson told the story of one of the homes that was attacked. Apparently, the grandfather, Shlomo Ron, sat in a chair in his home, and he was killed by the terrorists while the rest of the family was in the safe room somewhere in the home. While the door in the safe room can be locked, bullets can penetrate the door. Safe rooms were designed to prevent against missiles, but not against bullets, so the IDF is now beginning to consider how to prevent bullets from entering a safe room. In one home, the daughter and her father stood at the door to protect against entry, and the daughter was killed by terrorist bullets coming through the door. She died in the arms of her father, and the father was taken as a hostage. The rest of the family survived. Wherever there was a death in one of the homes, the IDF spray painted a black circle on that home to indicate that the family lost a loved one.

Participants posed with Federation’s Partnership Region Director, Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, and Nahal Oz resident, Nadav Tzabari. Photos of two hostages from Nahal Oz who are still in captivity are projected behind the group.

The volunteers had the opportunity to see how Israel was cleaning up the destruction that occurred, fixing the bullet holes and painting the homes to be used again. For one home, the volunteers cleaned up the house putting away dishes and straightening the house. According to Beilinson, it gave a very eerie feeling to know that people were killed there. She and the other volunteers were told not to take pictures of what was going on to protect the privacy of the families.

While at Nachal Oz, a speaker who was involved in the terrorist attack shared his story. He was a volunteer security guard in the kibbutz. He said when sirens go off, they have 90 seconds to get to a safe room in Tel Aviv, but only three seconds at the kibbutz. Even if the Iron Dome is capable of destroying the missiles, there is a need to go to a safe room to prevent the chance that you can be hurt or killed by the debris that falls back to the ground. The speaker said he was told during the terrorist raid that the terrorists were coming at them like ants, and some of his neighbors were murdered by Hamas. He said the Israelis didn’t know what was happening and the IDF arrived 12 hours late. When they did arrive, the people in safe houses couldn’t tell if they were talking to a terrorist or the IDF.

On their last night, the group visited the Namal in Tel Aviv, watching sunset and proudly holding “Atlanta Stands with Israel” posters.

The volunteers also went to the Nova Music Festival, which is now a memorial site. The area is very close to Gaza, and there is nothing there but a series of fields, but on various poles and homes there are pictures of the people who were killed, and the words, “Am Yisrael Chai.” Some families put up a billboard to tell the story of their children who had been murdered Poppy flowers have been planted as memorials. The festival is right near the main road, Route 232, and the terrorists blocked that route going north during the attack.

While the group was at the kibbutz near Gaza, a large boom sounded caused by the IDF. Even so, the enormous sound caused a young girl to scream. Although the area was quite safe, the sound of the boom indicated that there still was a war going on. Even with the scariest boom sounding, people continued singing, “Am Israel Chai,” and celebrated life.

When asked why she felt the need to serve Israel, Beilinson said she felt a strong urge to do something for Israel, while being proud to be an American.