For the third time in the last year, our community had the privilege of going to Eretz Yisrael on a mission to our sister town of Kerem Shalom. On a personal level, it was a great privilege to co-lead the mission with my beloved colleague Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, and to be joined in Kerem Shalom for a day by my equally beloved colleague Rabbi Daniel Feldman. It was also a great honor to be joined in Kerem Shalom by our partners from Sulamot, Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, shlita, the CEO of Sulamot, Rav Eli Taragin, and Chaver Knesset Matan Kahane.

As many of you are aware, Kerem Shalom is the very last town in Israel, at the gate of the Philadelphi corridor, at a triangle that connects Egypt, Gaza and Israel. It is unique as the only mixed kibbutz in Israel, where those who identify as religious and those who do not live together in mutual love and respect.

For those of who believe that the greatest threat to the Jewish people, since the days of mechiras Yosef, to the sinat chinam which destroyed the second Beit HaMikdash, and indeed the years of strife preceding October 7, Kerem Shalom is an oasis of love and respect. It is living proof that the Jewish people can live together, and thereby merit the kind of Divine assistance which will make it possible for us to defeat our implacable enemies.

Kerem Shalom was attacked by many hundreds of terrorists on October 7, who were repelled by a small force of Nachal reconnaissance soldiers outside the town, and by the heroic members of the kitat konninut (security team) for those terrorists who made their way into the town. This battle claimed the lives of two heroic members of the kibbutz, Amichai Weitzen and Yedidya Raziel, HY”D, who left behind eight orphaned children between them, and left Amichai Schindler and Yair Wizner seriously wounded.

This trip focused on the battle which took place outside the kibbutz. In that battle, the commanding officer, Yoav Levinson, was joined by two soldiers, Omer Batito and Yaron Shai, HY”D. They bravely fought dozens of terrorists, and prevented the vast majority from breaking into the kibbutz. We stood on the perimeter road between the fence of Kerem Shalom and the fence of Rafah, separated by 40 meters, and listened to Yoav recount the battle. It was also the first time Omer had returned to the place of his fateful battle.

In addition to Yaron’s ultimate sacrifice, both Omer and Yoav were grievously wounded on that day. Yoav refused evacuation until the location of all of his soldiers, both living and dead, was known, despite the fact that he had been shot in the neck. Two days later, he escaped from the hospital to attend Yaron Shai’s levaya.

The Nazis of Hamas came to make Kerem Shalom judenrein, and our response has been to ensure that we not only ensure the safe return of our brothers and sisters to Kerem Shalom over the next few months, but to ensure that Kerem Shalom is primed for growth and development.

As part of our $1 million campaign to help rebuild Kerem Shalom, we have allocated a significant number of the funds to build a new sports complex for Kerem Shalom to be enjoyed by all, and especially the children, in Yaron’s memory. Yaron loved children and did not live to have a family of his own, but it is the wish of his parents, Yizhar and Hila, who joined us for this special tour, that his name be perpetuated in the place where he gave his life for the Jewish people. Thank God, with great appreciation to the remarkable generosity of our community, we have raised well over $900,000 towards our goal.

In Kerem Shalom, we toured the other infrastructure in which we have invested, including the new medical station, which will feature a reinforced ambulance and paramedic station; the memorial garden, in memory of the martyrs of October 7; and the area in which the new children’s playground will be built, so that Jewish children will play in Kerem Shalom for generations.

We look forward to welcoming our friends from the security team in Kerem Shalom back to shuls across Teaneck this coming May 2 and May 3, Shabbat Tazria-Metzora, in partnership with Bergen County Lev Echad. We will God willing raise at least $100,000 of further life-saving equipment for their kitat konninut, to ensure that no terrorists are ever able to continue to threaten Kerem Shalom in the future. As the army continues to rehabilitate itself after the trauma of October 7th, and the relentless year-and-a-half of war which has ensued, the defense provided by the kitat konninut has never been more important.

Over the course of the rest of the mission, we had the privilege of hearing from remarkable individuals, such as Jen Airley; MK Matan Kahane in the halls of the Knesset; Nova survivor Atir Vitnikoff, who was saved by a righteous Muslim who hid him from Hamas terrorists underneath his farmhouse; Ohad Lapidot, father of Tiferet, who was killed at Nova after she turned back to save her friend; and the inimitable Iris Haim, who, although her son was tragically killed after escaping from Hamas captivity in Gaza, has chosen to follow the path of love and unity, focusing on the overall mission of bringing Am Yisrael together in this critical hour.

The final day of our trip was uniquely devastating, as it was the day upon which our people received back Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Even in that moment of searing pain, it was a great privilege to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in that moment.

In conclusion, I wanted to convey a message, from literally everyone we met on this trip, from Jen Airley’s opening remarks to the restaurant owner who spoke to us on the last evening: Our brothers and sisters in Israel need us in this hour. In the face of isolation and hatred, the sight of Jews from 6,000 miles away dropping everything to show solidarity continues to be profoundly meaningful and sustaining to our brethren on the front.

Even as the war continues, and it is only natural that much of our communal attention and resources are focused on our local kehilla, we must continue to prioritize Eretz Yisrael, in our tefillos, in our tzedakos, and indeed, in ongoing missions. I was told by one of the directors of Mizrachi’s missions department that they do not currently have any further communal missions scheduled, and this highlights the gravity of the situation.

As challenging as it is to maintain our focus from afar, we must live up, in this ongoing eis tzarah, to the mandate of derishas Tzion. Our brothers and sisters deeply need us. I know our special community will continue to answer the call, for Kerem Shalom, and for all of our brothers and sisters in the Land of Israel.

We look forward to forthcoming missions from and to Kerem Shalom, and to continuing to take our part in this milchemet mitzvah by rebuilding this special place. For inquiries regarding our partnership with Kerem Shalom, please contact me at [email protected]. May Hashem continue to bless our efforts with success.

Rabbi Daniel Fridman is the rabbi, Jewish Center of Teaneck and vice president of community affairs, Rabbinical Council of Bergen County.