We are in Florida, but our hearts are still in the East

Deborah Fidel, JD, MAJPS, Executive Director

hen I first started organizing a Temple Shalom mission to Israel with EVP (Emergency Volunteer Project, part of the Volunteer Division of the Israel Defense Forces), I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that people in our congregation wanted to go to Israel and help in some concrete way and EVP seemed to fit the bill. Our mission was to support the troops with a fresh hot meal and let them know that Jews from the other side of the world appreciate their sacrifice. We could not have anticipated how much our visit would mean to them or that we would receive way, way more than we gave.

Because EVP is part of the IDF, we stayed on an army base outside Jerusalem and had unparalleled access to frontline basecamps and combat soldiers who most needed a morale boost. Over the course of a week, we travelled to sites in and around the Gaza Envelope. One day, we could actually see Gaza in the distance and hear the booms of tanks and artillery fire. We chopped and sliced and grilled and fried and wrapped and served approximately 2,000 meals — hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, shawarma, felafel, steak and chicken wings with all the fixings — to soldiers currently serving in Gaza, living in tents in the cold, rain and mud, sleeping on army cots. We were honored to serve two units who were among the first to respond militarily to the attack on Oct. 7 and discover the evidence of the massacres at the Nova Music Festival, in the kibbutzim and in the villages of the south.

We brought thermal undershirts, long johns and socks for the troops, cards with messages of encouragement and support and distributed coffee kits containing everything combat soldiers need to make hot coffee in a tank, tent or on the go. Every one of the approximately 2,000 service men and women we encountered was incredulous that we cared enough to take the time out of our own lives to bring them those admittedly small comforts. Sharing a meal with them and hearing their stories was life-changing for us.

When we were not slicing and dicing, prepping and schlepping for the IDF, we lent a hand at a nursery that had been relocated from Gush Katif, Gaza in 2005. Incredibly, a rocket fired from that same area destroyed the irrigation system and flooded the nurseries in their new location near Ashkelon. They are woefully understaffed since most of their Thai workers returned home, fearing for their safety, after Oct. 7. Despite the cold and rainy conditions that day, we were happy to keep going until our task was complete.

We paid our respects to the families of those who were abducted on Oct. 7 at Hostage Square and to the recently fallen at Har Herzl. We visited a memorial to the murdered young people at the Nova Music Festival and said prayers for them at the Kotel on Shabbat. We ate the most delicious food imaginable and bonded with our outstanding Israeli team.

Israelis need to know that we, North American Jews, have their backs. As a Hebrew speaker, I was able to chat freely with soldiers and Israelis wherever we went. People of all ages and from all walks of life repeated similar themes; they are defending their families, homes and country, and they are truly struggling to comprehend the lack of moral clarity about this war around the globe, especially in the West. They feel abandoned and alone.

I met a wizened older man in a convenience store who asked me where I was from and why I was in Israel during a war. I explained that I was there with a group of Jews from Florida who came to feed soldiers and work in the fields. He started to cry like a child, saying that he didn’t know that anyone in the West still cared about them. A few days later, I had the same conversation with a 20-something young professional woman in Tel Aviv. She could not speak. The tears just ran down her face.

Each of my visits to Israel has been memorable in its own way, but being in Israel with EVP was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. There are many tour companies and travel agencies for people who want to see the sites in Israel. EVP provides a trip for those who want to feel the heart and soul of Israel. Please feel free to contact me for more information about our trip or Rabbi Miller’s upcoming mission in March.