Day 5: Tuesday March 26- Bob Gass
Rabbi Fersko suggested we approach traveling to Israel and the current crisis through concentric circles of learning and experience - and by hearing, seeing, feeling. My fellow VT bloggers have already shared the circles.
Today, Tuesday, March 26, we started the day by traveling north to pick strawberries. We are at a farm to fill in for the shortage of workers. The farmer is in trouble and the crop may be wasted, and needed food will not reach hungry people.
We are given the choice to work in the field picking strawberries or to pack in the processing shed, sorting the fruit and filling the little plastic containers that go on the store shelves. I choose to pick in the field and learn to snap the stem without damaging the fruit, leaving the leaves on and to gently place the berry in a tray. Any fruit that is rotten should be pulled and tossed on the ground. It is a mitzvah to work the land in Israel and since it is my first time, I say the Shehecheyanu prayer.
While on the farm I met Aaron, an officer in the Israeli Air Force - together with 20 of his recruits they are also filling in for missing workers. When I answered his question about where I am from, he was genuinely surprised and appreciative that Jews from NYC were there to help. He said they hear so much about how sentiment in the USA is against Israel. I shared that most Americans support Israel but that the “loud” crowd is anti-Israel and the media loves to push that narrative. Our job as American Jews is to come home and share what we learn here to shore up current supporters and become a presence in media coverage.
This is day 6 - the struggle of the country
After picking and packing strawberries at the farm we visited kibbutz Shefavim in central Israel that is hosting people from one of the kibbutzim near Gaza that had heavy fighting on Oct 7. We met Avichai Brodutch and heard his story and it was intense. His wife and 2 kids plus a neighbor’s child were abducted and taken as hostages - they were released after 51 days of captivity. The three children are all under 8 years of age. Avichai began a one person sit down a few days after Oct 7 when he recognized the government wasn’t doing enough to bring them home. He started the protest movement by sitting at the entrance to the Defense HQ. Eventually thousands of people joined the protests.
We heard Avichai’s story at Kibbutz Shefavim, which has became the temporary home for many of the kibbutz Kfar Aza families.
Rona Yaniv Aron, wife of our guide Jeremy Aron, introduced us to the effort to relocate displaced families from the “south”, an activism she and Jeremy started on Day 1 of the conflict. Yes, there are also families on the move on the Israeli side of this conflict. Israel is a small country so it is not surprising that our guide and his wife are also part of the story we are sharing with you.
Avichai’s story:
I lived 10 years in kibbutz Aza and I always felt safe, even if we had to run to the “safe room” from rockets maybe 1 or 2 times each year. Oct 6 we held a celebration for my daughter’s birthday. Oct 7 at 6:30am we heard noise and went to the safe room. We don’t have gun safes in our homes, we keep weapons in the central armory. I saw terrorists in the kibbutz - they were dressed like Israelis. I asked on the chat thread for help and a friend answered. People from nearby Kibbutz Sar came to help. And strangers nearby joined - the people of Israel are special. I had a message from my wife but when I got to our house they were gone. She tried to secure the door to the safe room but it doesn’t have a lock - this is on purpose in case of the need to rescue after a missile strike. The terrorists had taken my wife, the three children, and drove away in my car. My whole family is gone.
My family’s story for the next 51 days of captivity: My wife thought her husband was dead. The four of them were constantly moving among apartments in Gaza. They were first with a family but were moved to avoid bombing. Later treatment got worse as a punishment - they were starved, no talking, no crying. My son had to manage how he ate his pita by stretching it out for hours, only eating a small piece at a time. Now he cuts his food the same way and continues to manage his eating.
It was more than a miracle when they were released - it was 4 miracles. All of Israel was with us when we reunited. Our kibbutz still has 4 held hostage. Is Israel doing enough? There are 134 hostages, some already dead. I am not sure we are doing enough.
When I realized the government was not doing enough to bring home my family I began sitting at the Defense Ministry with a sign “my family is in Gaza”. This began the movement of hostage families demanding action by the government. At first I was questioned “why are you outside the entrance?” But people quickly understood and started to bring supplies and support.
What can be done? I went to Washington, DC to meet the Qatari ambassador, who offered help. The Israeli government isn’t doing enough. Revenge isn’t enough. Settlements are less important than people. No one risks to bring them home. I think our leadership should offer to trade places with the hostages - who have been abducted for 171 days.
Will I go back to Kfar Aza? I have good friends who were killed there. I can’t bring my family back but others will go back. I think families with small children are not likely.
When I hear Avichai’s story I hear resilience and shock, and see someone who is processing, recognizing realities, struggling to set a new path, and I have strong feelings of sympathy, admiration and brotherly love. That is a thumbnail description of the entire country.
We visited Brothers for life an organization of wounded combat veterans who support fellow wounded combat veterans.
Ross Keizer gave a tour of the facility in central Israel, one of several in the country. BFL is a NGO, apolitical (is that possible in Israel?) with a focus on reaching out to newly wounded, pairing them up with a wounded combat veteran and offering a range of support and services. Physical injuries can be dealt with as soon as possible, but any psychological injury will take some time to manifest - typically about 10 months.
The motto for BLF is Choose Life- look forward to future and not back to the injury. Each member should be able to say with pride that I am injured. Provide tools to go back in the field - build a resume, improve language, deal with Arabic sensitivity, challenge of interpersonal relationships impacted by PTSD, creative arts, music. Utilize story telling, your own story, in another language (English) allows separation to share personal details. 98% of staff are injured veterans. Learn your triggers and how to manage - PTSD is for life. Family training- mentoring for spouses.
BLF had 1,300 members before Oct 7. There is no fee to be a member for life. Delegations to USA, Canada, Australia - the members stay with families to demonstrate their commitment to Israel. Oct 7 - How to scale? 1,600 visits since Oct 7 and added 700 new members.
Brothers for Life is a place where healing begins - It’s okay to reveal your injury.
We closed the day with a briefing with Haviv Rettig Gur
Haviv is a journalist, political correspondent and analyst for the Times of Israel.
Israel after Oct 7 - a more dangerous world. The danger isn’t only Gaza and Hamas. Israel woke up - the belief in army deterrence was false. Hamas has built the tunnels over 17 years - as large as the New York City subway system. Gaza income taxes built the tunnels. Prepared a battlefield for 17 years- pay them some respect. Israeli Air Force deterrence - it will protect us - flipped to Israel deterrence - the bombing cannot be used in an urban setting.
Hamas invents the death numbers. Could actually be higher - no way to corroborate. Hamas strategy to have population loss will allow them to win. Israeli stupidity - didn’t understand the game and opponent. Learned on Oct 7 - Hamas is willing to destroy their own people - Israel has no deterrent.
Hezbollah is 5 times the size of Hamas and therefore a larger concern. New humility for the Northern border. Israel missed all signs and cannot trust itself. All that matters now is what threats do they have. They will use the weapons, what does Israel do? Long war. Strategy - it isn’t what will they do, but what is the worst they could do. The world doesn’t know what it means.
But rates of optimism are up. Renewed dedication to the State of Israel. Army reserves over subscribed. Israeli Arabs (Bedouin) have their own brigade and fought Hamas - videos going into battle singing Islamic songs calling to destroy Hamas. Latest polls show 70% identify with Israel. Oct 7 was not a good day for Palestinians - Hamas politics is worse for Palestinians than living as Israelis. But they fear anti Islam bias by Jews - Jewish racism is a concern. How to bring Arabs and Jews together?
With the horrible loss of civilian lives in Gaza, why are Gazans supporting Hamas? Oct 7 was a milestone in the 69 year strategy to liberate Palestine. Basic Palestinian story is colonialism. Need to understand Algeria and the struggle for independence from France between 1954 and 1962. French colony from 1830, 1 million French citizens living among 5 million Algerians. Launch an anti-colonial war by the FLM resistance. How to defeat the colonialist? Whatever the benefits are to the colonial power, raise the cost until it is perceived as too high a price. How? Massive horrific cruel violence. Create a psychological pressure to leave. And then fade away and force the colonialist equally cruel and violent response to fall upon the civilian population - gain recruits and international humanitarian concern. The French left Algeria in 1962.
Eighteen months later the PLO was founded on the FLM model. Jews look like French, i.e., white, European style of government, western values. The Palestinian lesson is any sign of weakness encourages increased violence and ratchets up the pressure. The second intifada unleashed over 1,000 attempted suicide bombers, with 140 successful explosions. Who would do such a thing? The left has no answer.
But it didn’t work- Israelis are the only Jews in this part of the world. They live on the sword, not like diaspora Jews. MIzrachi Jews have nowhere to go, where in the world is antisemitism not on the rise? USA is a less appealing option. The Palestinian Authority understands Israel is staying - but Hamas doesn’t.
There is a profound ignorance of Israel in the west. The Progressive American mind sees their own story - guilt over past racism. The irony is the move to aggressive anti racism results in a racism of Israel, entrenched in the State department. Every withdrawal by Israel has ended in rivers of blood. Gaza, Lebanon, portions of the West Bank. Each is followed by attacks on Israel.
Biden and Rafah - domestic politics. Israel is a cartoonish boogeyman, yet the advocates for Palestinians do them no real good. The Israeli public will only accept the destruction of Hamas in Rafah. What does this mean for the special relationship with the USA? Israel will look to develop independent missile production, will fight without the USA and fight more fiercely. It will end the Algerian dream.
Sneak preview - tomorrow we hear from Yair Golan who will put this in a geopolitical context.
Closing thoughts:
We had dinner on Monday night with a good friend of David Friedman. Shlomit Shalfy is a school principal - her assistant was at the Nova - 26 years old - killed along with 6 of her friends. There were four of us with Shlomit for dinner. When we met and drove to the restaurant and started to eat, it was all she could talk about. She was calm but it was the most important thing on her mind. The wound is raw and she is still in shock. And I think that is true for everyone here.
100 billion dollars, that’s a lot of money. It could have changed so many Gazan lives: schools, technology, startup funding, micro loans, improved housing and hospitals. That is the estimated price tag for 400 miles of extensive tunnels built by Hamas. Oh yeah, the tunnels were built underneath civilian homes, schools and hospitals - all unavoidably destroyed by tunnel busting bombs. And yeah, the tunnels needed to be destroyed - those under Rafah also.
People are very thankful that we have come to Israel. They know they are alone. Imri Bunim at kibbutz Re’im thanked us many times and he hopes we can come back and see his home when the pieces are back together.
The VT group had a “closing” dinner tonight as the schedule didn’t permit it later in the trip. My travel-mates, David, Natalie, Dana, Jill, Sari, Sam, (Sharon had other dinner plans with family) and the Rabbi relaxed together after 6 days of drinking from the firehose. We discussed what we saw, heard and felt - yeah, we are a bit like The Who’s Tommy.
Rabbi Fersko is a quiet force of nature. I speak for all of our VT travelers in sharing our deep gratitude for allowing us this opportunity to see, hear and feel the reality of Israel in this time of crisis. And I personally thank her for being there for me at Hostage Square when I needed a shoulder to cry on.