My most recent visit to Israel started with Havdalah services in Hostage Square. The weight of October 7 – the loss, the trauma, the sadness – hangs in the air and seeps into your pores. The realization of the challenges Israelis deal with all day, every day, is profound. You also realize that the entire country suffers from lasting trauma.
I was in Israel as part of the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute’s (MJB) 50th anniversary celebration and mission. The trip was designed to feature MJB’s work in applied social research in partnership with JDC in Israel. Both the south and north of Israel have suffered greatly since the beginning of the war. The country’s population of vulnerable people has grown dramatically since October 7 as people lost loved ones, jobs, homes, and communities. JDC has aided more than 550,000 of the hardest-hit Israelis since the war began and many more people still need our help.
An early childhood day care center in Sderot was our first stop and illustrated the dire needs we saw. Sixteen months of war has taken a toll on children and youth, whether they were evacuated to hotels for displaced families or remained on the frontlines.
Dr. Yair Tzadka, MJB’s chief innovation officer, is leading research on Trauma-Informed Care – training kindergarten teachers and early childhood professionals to better support children in crisis. We dropped into a classroom with two- and three-year-olds. Reading a book to the children, the teacher, Osher, was animated, funny, and loving in her delivery. Later, we came together as a group from a few different classrooms to ask the teachers and administrators questions. Osher was shy, but with prompting spoke about her personal challenges. As she mentioned her own children serving in the IDF, her husband being away, sirens and rockets non-stop, and many of her students being evacuated, her worry was palpable. Osher broke down at the end and had to be comforted, demonstrating the important lesson that caregivers require support to endure both the personal and professional toll that such a crisis can take.
We then had lunch with some of Israel’s older adults from the Judith Morton Guidance Centers, JDC’s network of rehab centers for Israel’s elderly. JDC is the only organization dedicated to ensuring elderly Israelis are NOT left alone and forgotten, especially during wartime when their needs only increased and there were not enough services or professionals to meet them. In response, JDC’s ESHEL partnership, which promotes independent living and wellness for Israel’s seniors, instituted an emergency program that moves a mid-age (50’s to 60’s) couple into a community for one year to aid local elderly. The couple is there for moral support, monitoring of seniors who may be at severe risks, and around the clock stability. One hundred people serve in five communities in the south. The couple we met with was based in Kfar Azza and were excited to be helping community members.
Our next stop was Memorial and Heroes Park in Sderot where the former police station had stood. We paid our respects to residents and defenders who fell in the war. Adir Shai, a 34-year-old police officer and mother of two, spoke about returning to the station after receiving numerous emergency alerts on October 7. Adir left her children and drove to the station to be confronted by an intense gun battle with Hamas terrorists who had infiltrated the police station. A few of her colleagues and friends lay dead or injured. Adir said she had never seen so many sophisticated weapons while she stood armed with her service revolver. The gun fight continued, more citizens were lost, leaving the officers with only one choice. They called in air support which bombed the police station bringing it down on top of the terrorists.
The community is gradually attempting to recover, although the mental health crisis is part of daily life—solving this challenge is one of JDC’s top priorities with many programs already at work to reduce trauma and stress among tens of thousands of Israelis. MJB’s research is being conducted in this community to uncover key predictors of mental health symptoms to ensure first responders and others get the care they need.
We then headed to Israel’s northern region, which is comprised of smaller municipalities that are spread out and very difficult to reach. Shlomi, for example, lies right on the border of Lebanon. As we stood looking at the border – which was only a few hundred yards away – the guard described how Hezbollah snipers had been able to pick off people in their homes. Approximately 60,000 people were forced from their homes, critical infrastructure was destroyed, and social services were stretched to the breaking point. JDC stepped in immediately to ensure those who stayed behind, including the most vulnerable, had the basic supplies, emergency services, and medical equipment they needed. Residents of Shlomi were to return this month to their homes and schools. Safeguarding residents during their homecoming, rehabilitation, and development are top priorities for JDC’s ELKA partnership, which maximizes the ability of public systems to provide social services to residents efficiently and effectively.
The Emergency Medical Unit we saw in the Druze town of Hurfeish was remarkable. JDC drew from its disaster relief experience to ensure medical preparedness and training of first responders and worked to create a talented, medically equipped cohort of residents who have become a crucial resource in emergency care. It was hard to imagine that this community had no ambulances before October 7 and how they learned to transport injured people in their personal cars without further injuring them. The pride these volunteers exhibit in their ability to contribute and care for their fellow neighbors was deeply touching.
Nahariya was the next stop on the northern border with Lebanon. Not evacuated, Nahariya’s residents struggled with the daily trauma of navigating the significant damage to their town’s infrastructure and never-ending tension. Nahariya is one of the frontline cities JDC is working tirelessly to rehabilitate. Before October 7, the community struggled with poverty, strained systems, and disaffected youth. JDC then deployed its Mashiv Haruach (“Reviving the Spirit”) initiative in the city, focusing on building community resilience, healing, and sustainable recovery. This work will help as JDC engages in its wider efforts to help rebuild Northern Israel, making sure that infrastructure such as homes, schools, roads, and sewage systems, as well as health, welfare, and education services are up and running and meeting a new reality.
The mayor of Nahariya spoke to us at length about the development of local resilience programs. He also strongly underscored that he never left the community during all the shelling. We then engaged with community members who have been trained to identify and help those who may be in crisis. Anna Nemsic spoke about her son, Yuli, who is on the autism spectrum as low functioning. Nemsic struggled with getting Yuli to a shelter during numerous rocket attacks, as running and hiding in a small room was too traumatizing for him. After learning that many mothers were struggling with similar issues, Nemsic started support groups for the moms. As the need grew, she trained other mothers to be facilitators and on-call support heroines.
Our last day on the mission showcased the combined work of JDC and MJB in supporting Israel’s efforts to integrate the Haredi or ultra-Orthodox Jewish population into the labor market. JDC’s Tevet partnership, which creates programs to secure employment for Israelis from all walks of life, has a trusted relationship with the Haredi community. When the war created a labor shortage in the construction industry, JDC created a program that provides entry-level courses in construction careers for Haredi men, who often experience high rates of unemployment. This means they can begin earning wages after completion of a 20-hour course and continue learning through on-the-job training. We showed up in our hard hats in an alley behind a school to watch trainees building foundation molds with structural wall components. It was really something to meet these young men and hear about their thoughts and dreams as they learned to build a future for their families.
Before heading off to the 50th anniversary dinner celebration of MJB, we made a visit to President Herzog and his wife, Michal, at their residence. President Herzog has known the excellent work of MJB and JDC for many years. He has also worked closely with Dr. Michal Grinstein-Weiss, the new director of MJB, at Washington University in St. Louis, where she previously worked.
One of the highlights from that meeting was when I delivered a thank you gift to President Herzog. Was it a tzedakah box? A photo from the JDC Archives? No, it was something from home, with a special meaning. It was a Proclamation from the City Council of Virginia Beach and Mayor Bobby Dyer stating that the City of Virginia Beach stands in solidarity with the State of Israel, AND the key to the City of Virginia Beach.The President was very touched. We can thank Virginia Beach City Councilman Joash Schulman and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater for making that happen.
The bonds we share with our extended family in Israel are strong. As we work to heal and rebuild a country beset by war and uncertainty, we strengthen those ties every day, ensuring Israelis have a strong, bright future ahead of them.
Annie Sandler is president of JDC.
Trip highlights JDC’s work post October 7
