In the Aftermath
Supporting the Mental Health of our Communities
Eyla Benedykt
Brazil Representative, Israel Bonds
If, on the one hand, we are so distressed by the many lives that were taken on October 7th, and by the trauma of the hostages who have not yet returned to their families, we are also heartened to witness the unity of our community in Brazil and around the world. It is one of those success stories of an Israel Bonds partner organisation that I share with you, through our Israel Bonds Women's Division volunteer Ilana Leeberman, who so brilliantly leads ORAM, together with Rabbis Shie and Itche Pasternak. It is entities like this that fill us with pride as we celebrate Israel's 76th anniversary.
Below, Ilana explains how ORAM has responded to the October 7th attack:
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack against Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023, the necessity of supporting mental health in our communities has risen drastically. It has become of the utmost importance to provide professional help, with qualified psychologists and psychiatrists, to the Jewish community in Brazil and in Israel.
We are heartened to witness the unity of our community in Brazil and around the world.
At this time, Or Avraham/ORAM, which has initiated services to the community for more than twenty years, came up with a strategic plan of action to embrace and accommodate clients in need at this time by expansion in two areas of their program, Derech, and Shema.
Derech is a project that provides clients with psychological treatment to help them pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. These sessions are offered to Brazilians residing in Israel or in Brazil, wherever they are located. The first call for help is received by our director, who does the intake to find the right professional for the client. Within twenty-four hours, the client is connected with a professional psychologist to begin the healing process. These sessions have been ongoing since October 7th.
The second Project, Shema, is a resource for those in need to be able to reach out anonymously to a trained responder. The caller is embraced and heard, in order to feel comforted during the call, and new volunteers have joined in this effort. These phone lines already existed in Brazil and have now been expanded to three cities in Israel: Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. There are no any additional charges for these calls.
Despite the challenges life has presented us since October 7th, the unity within our community proves how strong a nation we are!! Am Israel Chai!!
To learn more about ORAM, please visit www.oram.org.br
An Extraordinary Solidarity with Israel
Jonathan Touboul
Israel Bonds Director for French Speaking Countries
October 7th was a cataclysm for Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
The Israel Bonds organization in France has also witnessed the impact that the events of recent months have had on the community and on our global business relations.
Aside from legitimate fears about Israel’s economic growth during this crisis, we have also seen a spontaneous and massive surge in support for Israel through Israel Bonds. At the same time, we are witnessing some strong divisions in French society.
So, what have we been facing since October 7th? Quite simply, an accusatory inversion of historical facts and current actions to systematically delegitimize the State of Israel, using arguments as fallacious as any other.
Following an article about Israel Bonds in the business newspaper Les Echos, reactions on social networks have been less than kind.
As a result, French Jews feel isolated and accused of the worst evils, even in our universities, where slogans such as "From the river to the sea" are taken up indiscriminately. The aim is to terrorize Jewish students and stigmatize the community.
And according to our Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, antisemitic acts increased enormously in the first quarter of 2024.
Against this backdrop of a more-than-predictable reversal in the sympathy capital enjoyed by Israel in the aftermath of October 7th, the community's various organizations have adopted a united stance.
While we may be the smallest people, we are the biggest family.
They all share the feeling that they are being profoundly called into question, and that any link with the State of Israel somehow renders them culpable for the situation in Gaza.
So, to increase the impact of their actions in the face of certain anti-Israeli campaigns flirting with antisemitism, joint initiatives have been developed.
Philippe Meyer, President of B’NAI B’RITH France, pictures the situation as a “pogrom of October that scarred us all forever. Right after that black Shabbat, France's Jewish community displayed an extraordinary solidarity with Israel, which has not wavered since. The mobilization was total and united. As never before, we were able to see that while we may be the smallest people, we are the biggest family. Collections, trips, support operations, awareness-raising in the media and with society's decision-makers followed one another on the part of the main Jewish organizations, including B'nai B'rith France, which put all the energy and commitment of its members and leaders into serving Israel as an absolute priority at all times. It is in this unprecedented and necessary dynamic that, among all our actions, our partnership with Israel Bonds was and is an obvious one.”
More than ever, unity is the key to breaking down isolation and conveying the message of the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel, regardless of one's political sensibilities.
Yoel, Director of Keren Hayesod in Belgium until May 1, 2024, said: "Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh, meaning all of Israel are responsible for each other. After October 7th and the outpouring of antisemitism around the world, this must be even more the guiding principle in our thoughts and actions. Unity of the Jewish people and Israel."
The French government protects the Jewish community and is committed to fighting antisemitism.
In the fight to denounce antisemitic words and deeds, Jewish organizations are uniting and strengthening their ties with Israel through trips, support campaigns and, above all, education outside the community to create the foundations for a better future dialogue.
Yasmin, WZO, who works for the promotion of Aliyah department, points out that “the Aliyah Promotion Department has organized a series of events, both face-to-face and online, since October 7th. Some have been organized jointly, and we've been touched by the support, solidarity, and mobilization of the Jewish community in France. In these difficult times, we all stand together.”
Since the beginning of the crisis, Israel Bonds in France has set up a series of video conferences with partners such as the World Zionist Organization, B'nai B'rith and Keren Hayesod detailing the realities on the ground, the economic consequences of the war and the cost of reconstruction.
Israel Bonds supports Israel.
On the heels of this Yom Ha’atzmaout, the celebration of Israel’s independence, we all hope for an end to this tragedy, the return of the hostages, and a lasting peace in the region.
More Together Than Alone
Michael Grauss,
Israel Bonds Managing Director in Germany
The Haggadah, which is traditionally read at each Passover seder, recounts the story of the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago. Because of world events, this year’s Passover celebration felt different than in any previous year, but one reading from the Haggadah is particularly relevant these days:
וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ
שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ
אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ
וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם
And it is this (the Torah) that has stood by our ancestors and for us.
For not only one (enemy) has risen up against us to destroy us,
but in every generation they rise up to destroy us.
But the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers us from their hands.
The history of the Jewish people is full of stories about surviving the attempts of various evil people to annihilate them. The massacre by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, and the following antisemitic activities worldwide have shown us that even in our modern world, the hatred of Jews is not a historical myth but a real threat.
The Jewish people have always experienced antisemitism; therefore, this phenomenon is not new to us. And yet, we have been surprised by the revelation of the breadth of the Jew-hatred present within Western societies.
As these statements from our various community leaders will attest, the more we are hated and attacked, the closer we move together, because we know that together, we are all stronger.
Alon Meyer
President of Makkabi Germany e.V.
Unity and solidarity within the Jewish community are essential to our ability to continue and to look forward, despite all the resentments, prejudices and tragedies we have been experiencing since October 7, 2023. The feeling of unity is always noticeable and unshakable within the global Maccabi family. The fact that we are holding the European Maccabi Games this year and the Maccabiah in 2025 despite the current situation is, among other things, a strong sign for us and the world that Jewishness is alive!”
Pava Raibstein
Director of the charity organization Kinder- und Jugend-Aliyah e.V.
“We must strengthen our children, teach them to stand together and be proud Jews. United, they will ensure a stable society and create a safe place for Jews in Israel and in the world — now and
in the future.”
Paul Jurecky
CEO for Deutschland of Jüdischer Nationalfonds e.V. (JNF-KKL)
“Apart we survive; united we thrive.”
Aron Schuster
Director of Zentralwohlfahrtsstelle der Juden in Deutschland e. V.
“Community provides support and security and creates identity. Especially in times of crisis, such as after the massacre on October 7th, values such as these are so incredibly important for every individual. Community means being more together than you can be alone.”
Daniel Hofmann
Vice President of Zionistische Organisation Deutschland e.V.
“Together we are strong!!”
Only united we will prevail! Am Israel Chai!
Collaborative Efforts in Support of Israel
Joe Ozer, Executive Director, Israel Bonds UK, and Zvi Noé, Chairman, UJIA.
Supporting the State of Israel has never been more important, but equally important has been our local support of one another. The UK Jewish community has been hit with wave after wave—weekend after weekend— of Jewish hate masked as anti-Israel sentiment, with perpetrators facing little to no consequences.
Israel Bonds’ response has been to forge closer ties with organisations such as UJIA, that have been doing so much to help the efforts of both the UK community and the State of Israel. Multiple joint events and sponsorships have both both UJIA with their operations and brought much needed support to the State of Israel.
Zvi Noé, UJIA’s new chairman – talks to us about some of the things that they’ve been doing throughout the past seven-plus months:
UJIA’s response to the Hamas terrorist atrocities began on the very evening of October 7th, when we launched our Emergency Appeal and made the first allocations to partner organisations that needed funds quickly.
Our first allocation of funds that evening came to the Jewish Agency’s Fund for the Victims of Terror. This fund provides immediate, ongoing financial and logistical support to those whose lives have been changed in an instant. Nearly 400 affected families were supported by UJIA donors through the fund. As the days went on, we were able to make further, quick allocations to other long-standing partners, including the Israel Trauma Coalition, ensuring that help was getting to where it was most needed. In those early hours and days, speed was vital, since we know that if someone suffering from trauma can begin therapy within forty-eight hours, they are significantly less likely to develop long term PTSD.
As the days turned to weeks, and the number of evacuated civilians reached exceeded 200,000, we worked hand in hand with partners like Dror Israel to set up three pop-up schools and additional informal educational services inside evacuee hotels. We worked with organisations like Leket to get hot Shabbat meals to tens of thousands who couldn’t get home, and Pitchon Lev to get supply packages to 375 mothers with infant children.
And as the weeks became months, we not only started giving young British Jews the chance to take part in special Birthright groups that have an important focus on volunteering, but also helped to bring young survivors from Kibbutz Kfar Aza to the UK to tell their stories to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences here. This initiative also gave them important rest time away from home. So far, we have hosted five of these delegations of October 7th survivors, who have visited shuls, schools and other key communal organisations. This is to say nothing of the dozens of communal leaders and supporters who have been on UJIA solidarity missions to meet with victims of the attacks as well as Israeli political and social leaders, and to see for themselves the horrors of what happened.
Hundreds of young people are getting ready for life-changing, immersive Israel experiences.
In the UK, we have been just as busy. Since October, thousands of people have joined regular online briefings from senior Israeli officials. Last week, following the moving vigils to highlight the plight of the hostages, which together were attended by over 25,000 people, we have hosted with communal partners in central London, and we came together again to mark Yom Hashoah. This past week saw a range of events to mark Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut, both of which this year took on a poignancy never before seen. On the evening of Yom Ha’atzmaut itself, our partners at B’nei Akiva hosted the community’s flagship ceremony attended by political and civic leaders, followed by UJIA’s annual Business Breakfast the next morning. The breakfast, which is a key event in the communal diary, was addressed by Shaked and Yifat Porat, leaders of Kibbutz Mefalsim, which came under attack on October 7th. Along with Kibbutz Be’eri, Mefalsim and a host of communities along Israel’s northern border are UJIA’s key strategic partners as we begin the work of helping Israel to rebuild.
As we look ahead to the summer, hundreds of young people are getting ready for life-changing, immersive Israel experiences. Israel Tour will see over 500 sixteen-year-olds head to the Jewish homeland with their youth movements, one in five for the first time. Spaces are still available on Birthright programmes for eighteen-to-twenty-six- year -olds, and people are already signing up for one of many Masa programmes, as well as other gap year opportunities beginning in September.
The range of work we continue to do for British Jews and across Israel is unrivalled, and I’m sure that in the few short paragraphs of this article, you have come across programmes or events that you didn’t realise UJIA was vital in powering. Ensuring the vitality of our community and the safety and well-being of the people of Israel have been central values of UJIA since our founding all the way back in 1920.
All the People of Israel are Responsible for One Another.
Saul Kisel
CFO, Israel Bonds International & Executive Director of Israel Bonds in Mexico
Achdut, a Hebrew word that translates to "unity," holds profound significance in Jewish culture, philosophy, and communal life. It embodies the ideal of coming together as one cohesive and harmonious entity, standing as a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of the Jewish people.
At the core of achdut lies the concept of solidarity. It emphasizes the idea that despite individual differences, there is a fundamental connection that binds people together. In the context of Jewish tradition, this unity is not merely about coexistence, but about active cooperation and mutual support. Ancient texts and teachings often highlight the significance of unity among the Jewish people. For instance, in the Torah, the expression "Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh," meaning "All of Israel is responsible for one another," underscores the collective responsibility each member has toward the welfare of others.
Embracing this unity can serve as an inspiration not just within the Jewish community, but for the global community as a whole, fostering a world where mutual respect, support, and cooperation prevail.
"Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean." – Ryunosuke Satoro
The events that occurred on October 7th mark a before and after for anyone who has any type of connection with the State of Israel. The world will never be the same for this generation of people who witnessed the atrocities that were committed against humanity that day. It has been a completely devastating experience that unfortunately takes us back to past tragedies that have been committed against our people simply for being Jews.
But in life, good things often come out of the bad, and this is what I want to talk to you about today, about what I witnessed along with the entire Israel Bonds Mexico community. If I had to choose from all the projects that have been organized to support Israel and our community at this time, I wouldn't know where to start. So, I'm going to mention a few that come to my mind.
Our Woman Division led a Hanukkah Sevivon (Dreidel) campaign, and successfully raised critical funds in support of the State of Israel.
We were honoured with the opportunity to host an event for the newly launched Maapeja project in Mexico, an organization that fights sexual and gender-based violence and seeks to give a voice to all women.
We teamed up with Eshet Jail for a challah event also known as Hafrashat Challah, with special guest Idan Chabasov, known as the Challah Prince. In unity, we prayed for the hostages to return home, for each soldier to return safely to their family, and for all the families who lost a loved one as a result of October 7th to find solace and comfort. For this event, Eshet Jail found a creative way to financially support a number of small businesses run by women in Israel who have made Aliyah, by purchasing their products and gifting them to all attendees.
Together we are going through difficult times, bearing witness to atrocities and social unrest many of us had only heard about in stories from many years ago. But let’s not forget, as Ryunosuke Satoro said, "Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."
Israel needs us and we need Israel.
Am Israel Jai.
Photos by Nir Dor Photography