David Adams:

Since Oct. 7, like many of my fellow Jews, my struggle has been: “What can we do?” Many have taken to volunteering and engaging with incredible causes while others have turned to extra tefillah and/or Torah learning. Ten months after that horrific day and I still haven’t identified the “thing” for me to actually feel like I’m doing something. Well, last week, the answer presented itself in the form of the Bergen County Kerem Shalom Nine Days Unity Mission.

Led by Rabbi Daniel Fridman of the Jewish Center of Teaneck and Rabbi Elliot Schrier of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, this mission can be easily summarized in one word: Life-changing! I will not go into the many details and ways this was life-changing. Rather, I will let you read the words of my 17-year-old son who I had the zechut to experience this with. As a quick background, the highlight of the trip was spending an entire day at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. Located in the south and on the border with Gaza and Egypt, this kibbutz unfortunately became famous for having survived an attack on Oct. 7. Please read my son’s words below to truly understand and appreciate the impact this has had on our lives. Thank you to all those who coordinated this amazing experience and l’shana haba b’Yerushalyim!

Yakir Adams:

Today, I visited Kibbutz כֶּרֶם שָׁלוֹם, located at the border crossing between Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip. On Oct. 7, the kibbutz was surrounded by hundreds of terrorists. Miraculously, only a small fraction managed to breach the walls of the kibbutz. With no army to protect them, the kibbutz relied entirely on its emergency response team consisting of just eight members of the kibbutz. These eight courageous men managed to kill every Hamas terrorist that entered the kibbutz. Tragically, two of the kibbutz’s security member team, Yedidya Razel and Amichai Vitsan, lost their lives in the process. They were childhood friends who had lived next to each other their entire lives and were ultimately buried side by side on Har Herzl.

The day started off with the entire kibbutz planting a massive vineyard, showing that although they got hit they are here to stay and will not go anywhere (besides the fact that the name of the kibbutz is כֶּרֶם שָׁלוֹם). They now said there will be a כֶּרֶם in the כֶּרֶם. We also learned that prior to Oct. 7, whenever a rocket would land on the kibbutz, they planted a flower at the exact location where the rocket fell. This vineyard is the ultimate statement that we are planting our roots deep in this area.

During the tour of the kibbutz, we visited the site where a father of six, Amichai Schindler, showed extreme bravery in a desperate bid to save his family from two terrorists. Amichai held the door of the safe room closed while the terrorists tried getting in. While he was holding the door, the terrorists planted explosives outside the door and the explosion left Amichai without arms while everyone else in the room was left physically unharmed (including the mezuza on the door).

Seeing the strength and courage of the kibbutz members who endured what can only be described as hell on earth was profoundly moving. We heard from the wives of the two kibbutz members who gave their lives in defense of the kibbutz. Their mesirat nefesh and love of עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל are beyond words.

The visit deeply impacted me. The war is no longer just news reports and videos. It’s now fully real to me. I feel connected to this struggle and to the incredible people of this kibbutz (and all of Israel).

I hope anyone reading this can take a moment to appreciate the profound beauty of being a Jew. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a strong sense of purpose in life. Having opportunity after opportunity to better ourselves to find love and peace between us and our brothers. The example set by Kerem Shalom is a testament to the strength and beauty of what it means to be a Yid. When we are attacked, whether by Hamas, our yetzer hara or the fakeness of gashmiut or the hatred some non-Jews have towards us, just remember you are a yid. We ain’t going anywhere! We are here to plant that vineyard. We are here to serve the Creator and to have the ability to bring love and peace to this world so we can ultimately bring Moshiach, bimhayra biyamainu.