I recently attended the Bergen County Kerem Shalom Nine Days Unity Mission and was one of the few mission members who had the honor of participating in both Bergen County Kerem Shalom missions. (The first mission was in February.) I was compelled to join the second mission because of the achdut and strong relationship I had built with some of the Kerem Shalom members. The thought of enhancing those relationships and continuing to show chizuk and support to these amazing people, who I honestly now see as my extended family, was something I could not miss out on.
During the recent mission, we participated in a vineyard planting (and ceremony), which was the dream of Amichai Witzen, HY”D, one of the kibbutz’s fallen heroes; his wife, Talia, beautifully described this as showing that they are planting roots and are here to stay. I led some fun activities for the Kerem Shalom kids while they are living in Ashalim, having been displaced since October 7. We also experienced some of the sites of Yerushalayim, including Kotel tunnels, Ir David and Chizkiyahu tunnels, with members of Kerem Shalom, which was really special. Bonding with them and experiencing their joy was an absolute highlight throughout this mission.
Another high point was our visit to the new Hadassah Har Tzofim rehabilitation center, where we spoke to a chayal who was injured from a terror attack after he was discharged from his service in Gaza. Hanania Ben-Shimon’s story of heroism, taking down the terrorists and saving many lives despite severe injuries especially resonated with those of us who had been on the first mission because we recalled the event occurring while we were in Israel in February. To have the opportunity to meet him on the final day of his in-patient recovery and learn about his selflessness gave me a special glimmer of hope.
For me, a key takeaway from this mission was the concept of tolerance and acceptance. A standout feature of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom is their special and intentional composition, where dati and chiloni, religious and non-religious, live together respectfully, while embracing their differences. I watched as chiloni members instinctively stepped in to support their dati friends, for example helping the wives of the fallen with their children. They obviously don’t all have similar beliefs, but they have worked through their differences to accept and love one another as family.
This similar concept arose when we heard from Ari Kalker, chief sergeant major of a Reserve Special Forces Unit, and Eli Knoller, father of Master Sergeant Nadav Elchanan Knoller, HY”D. They spoke about their and their children’s experiences in the IDF in units of diverse soldiers and commanders—putting their differences aside, working together, trusting one another with their lives, truly becoming best friends, and spending endless hours, while doing shmira for example, discussing their differing perspectives respectfully.
On this mission, we tried to provide meaningful physical and emotional support, especially in times of heightened threat, which was appreciated by all the amazing individuals we met. I only covered a few of the heroes and their families we met on the mission, but their stories all need to be told, and they and other heroes from Eretz Yisrael continue to need our support through davening, donations and political outreach. I also hope we can learn a lesson of tolerance and acceptance from them in these trying times around the world or use their stories to help teach this important lesson as well.
Pearl Rawson is the head of regulatory labeling and advertising/promotion at Regeneron. She lives in Teaneck with her husband and three daughters.
