A little over two weeks ago, many parts of Israel were set on fire. Many areas were torched and burned, left with only the blackened scars of soot and ashes. Families who were settled in for the night on Shabbat were forced out of their homes by blazing fires, fleeing with their children wrapped tightly in their arms. Everything was left behind, because everything else at that moment meant nothing. Families lost their homes and all that they contained.
And for many, like the artist Yoram Raanan from Beit Meir who lost 40 years of his artwork to the fires, it will take forever to rebuild their forever.
Despite all the horrors and through all the incredible sadness in Israel, story after story poured in depicting incredible acts of bravery and kindness, miracles and perseverance that rose up through the ashes. It is these stories that will hopefully heal and it’s these acts of kindness that will hopefully rebuild.
In one building up North in Haifa, a group of Hesder Yeshiva students from Mevaser Shalom ran for their lives as their building was caught by the fires, only to realize that in the basement was a nursery school of young children. The Jewish Press reported that these brave students raced in, despite the incredibly dangerous situation, and rescued each and every child. It was only after all the children were saved that the building crumbled to the ground.
Also in northern Israel, Yosef Ruckin had the incredible good fortune not to be home when the fires ravaged his family’s house. His mother and stepfather also experienced their own private miracle as they left the same home for the birth of Yosef’s sister’s baby at 9:30. Their house burned down at 11:30. When he was finally able to return after the fires had destroyed their home, Yosef collected the only item that remained intact: his tefillin.
Firefighters who fought to put out over 1,700 fires, risking their lives to save others, and exhausted and blackened by days of work, risked their lives again rescuing sifrei Torah from burning infernos. Many volunteer firefighters flew in from all across the world to join forces and work together to put out the flames. Israel is usually among the first responders when other countries suffer a natural disaster, bringing their finest medical equipment and army doctors, nurses and psychologists to help when it is most crucial. It was incredible to hear of the countries around the world who came to Israel’s aid in helping them put out the rapidly spreading flames. The U.S., France, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Great Britain, Croatia and Russia all sent assistance. And due to this extreme circumstance, the 747 supertanker firefighting plane was also brought in from the U.S. and was an enormous help dousing the flames with its ability to carry up to 19,600 gallons of retardant or water. Mitzvah goreret mitzvah. Acts of goodwill brought about from other acts of goodwill.
On the same day that I saw parts of a forest near my home burned to the ground, WhatsApp messages circulated throughout my community looking for volunteers to do the laundry for our local firefighters. These brave men were unable to return home for over a week and didn’t have any clean clothes to change into after battling the blazes for hours on end. Our yishuv school, along with so many others across the country, collected sweets and little treats to bring over to the firemen, offering them much-needed words of thanks and support. Our family had the privilege of bringing a Thanksgiving dinner to our local firefighters and were so moved by their stories and by their incredible bravery.
Shuls became a drop-off point, collecting clothing and donations that were brought to the needy communities. And volunteers poured in, including yeshiva students, offering their help sorting and organizing the dozens of shipping containers that were filled with donations. Within minutes of posting on social media about gyms or shuls being open for donations, people ran over with whatever their arms could carry, giving what they could from their pockets and from their hearts. Stories floated around social media of strangers opening their homes to other strangers. One story in particular told of a man at the supermarket holding up the line because he was buying a large supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste. When he finally revealed that he was in fact dropping off these items to a local shelter where people who escaped the fire were staying, customer after customer loaded up his cart with pacifiers, toiletries and other necessities. The owner of the store refused payment and covered the entire bill.
The community of Neve Tzuf, which had to flee Shabbat night and subsequently lost many family homes to the fires, were recently a sponsoring community for lone soldiers at the Michael Levin lone soldier center. They were committed to cooking and preparing Shabbat and holiday meals for the soldiers. Last week, the center, led by Bonnie Holzberg Rosenbaum, repaid that kindness by collecting furniture, household items and toys for the families and children in Neve Tzuf. Chashmonaim resident Stuart Katz, through the organization Yad Chazaka, is determined to make sure all the families in Neve Tzuf who lost their homes and are subsequently living in caravans have heaters for the cold months ahead.
Hillel Kuhr, a psychologist from Kibbutz Sha’alvim, counseled many teenagers from Neve Tzuf soon after they returned home. He shared stories of teenagers coming to the meeting with black soot still on their faces, many of whom lost their homes. Hillel reports that although there was sadness and anger in the room, incredulously, there was also laughter and joy. These young teenagers, even though they hadn’t slept for days and had experienced a life-changing trauma, simply wanted to go and plan B’nei Akiva youth activities for the younger children and provide stability for them.
Israel was burned, literally and emotionally. But our salve for these burns is our incredible people and the kindness all around us. Am echad b’lev echad. We are but one nation with one heart. And that heart is enormous.
By Esti Rosen Snukal
Esti Rosen Snukal is a mom of four boys and adopted mom to a lone soldier. She made aliyah with her husband from Teaneck to Chashmonaim four years ago and documents many of her experiences on Facebook. Esti can be reached at [email protected].
