OU TZAFONA THEY SAY… that 40,000 Israeli troops are poised to enter Lebanon in lieu of the 40,000 demonstrators who faced off with the army at Kefar Maimon just before the Disengagement, just over a year ago. They say that once nobody took notice of the shells landing in Gush Katif. But when shells fell in Sederot, they said it was a travesty. And then they forgot about the people of Sederot and claimed that the shells landing in Ashkelon were a disaster. Then when the shells hit the North, they forgot about the people of theSederot. They say that this is a heavenly wake up call. For wasn't there supposed to have been a Gay parade in the palace of the Almighty? For hasn't the recent outpouring of care and assistance from all sectors and all backgrounds served as a Tikun for the divisive tendencies in Israeli society? THE POWER OF "ANI MA'AMIN" Paradoxically, the proportion of casualties among those who were evicted from Gush Katif last year is said to exceed proportionately the numbers of other soldiers who have so tragically suffered in this latest war of the Jewish people. These were the boys who supposedly refused orders, who despaired of the classical values that they had ascribed to the IDF. These are the same soldiers who you will see on television passing around the Tefillin to each other, eating on Tish'a B'av because of Piku'ach Nefesh, chanting Tefilat Hadrech as they walk into the hell-fires in the valleys and mountains of Lebanon, and who sing Ani Ma'amin as they march to face their adversary. SUDDENLY WE WERE ALL ONE… They came into the Israel Center after a day in the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Tunnels, in David's City. After a tour arranged, among scores of other activities for the "People of the North", initiated by our director, Rabbi Avi Berman, and the staff of our OU Israel Center in the heart of Yerushalayim. Actually, at first glance they seemed a dispirited group, which in many ways they were. They are People of the North, like out of a science-fiction thriller. What are they doing coming into the Center? Greeting them one at a time as they came in - babes in arms, stressed mothers and creased Savtot (grandmothers), I felt that the scene was surrealistic, to put it mildly. Was this just another group coming to our Center for yet another program? Why did I feel that the smile on my face was forced and yet the tears in my eyes were genuine? Why at one and the same time did I feel proud that we were about to do a tremendous chesed (kindness), yet almost guilty that we were conveniently safe while these refugees running from the Katyushot were so, so fragile? He expressed the concern of Jews all around the world, and especially in the synagogues of the OU, for the welfare of the people of Israel. He sang and clapped as the crowd, warming up to the event, sang a rousing "Am Yisrael Chai". Suddenly we were all one. Suddenly, all faces were focused on singer Moshe Dovid whose accompanying Chassidic tale roused passion and calmed the spirits: "When you reach the pinnacle, you can only go down. But when you are down, you can only go up…" TO SEE THE SMILES ON THE FACES - I am driving along the back roads of central Israel with Rabbi Weinreb. We are on the way to another Israel Center sponsored project that has a benefit for the needy in the aftermath of the outrages in the North. We are on the way to join volunteers to pick vegetables in an abandoned field on the outskirts of Rehovot. The volunteers are children in the Center's three-day camp program set up especially for the children of Nahariya and Sederot. Traumatized children desperately in need of a break; children in our NCSY-in-Israel program - Makom Balev. Together with youngsters from Makom Balev chapters from all around the country, they make a colorful group, dressed in their orange Makom Balev T-shirts. In the true spirit of "Achdus" (unity), there was yet another group that joined this band in this pastoral setting whose silence was broken only by the urgent roar of F-16 fighters overhead, screeching to the war but six minutes flying distance away. This group, like the rabbi, also hailed from overseas: thirty young men from the NCSY Kollel, here for a summer of learning. To see the smiles on the faces; to witness the pristine enthusiasm of these latter-day horticulturists. To hear the laughter and giggling. To hear the collective singing of "Hakadosh Baruch Hu… We love You," as the tomatoes and onions found their way to the tractor and eventually to the shelters in Hatzor and Kiryat Shemona.To sense the coming together of Jews from all over the world, in every shade of color, making their small clearing in the forest, their modest contribution for Am Yisrael. To allow the Israeli children to maintain their innocence for just a few more minutes. To inspire them all with words of Torah. To put our Jewish values into practice. Isn't that what it's all about? THE CHILDREN WERE REFUGEES. Why is life so full of contrasts? The children in the hotel we visited were refugees. Yet they were laughing as the entertainer in our sponsored project amused them with his guitar. He had dressed it up with his spectacles and yarmulke. The children bounced up and down, oblivious to the strain on their parents' faces around them. A couple from Meron tell their story. Beni, a schoolteacher, and his wife Zehavit Suissa have escaped the shelling. That was after their little girl started knocking off the faces of her dolls, one by one. "A Katyusha got them!" she said. Beni is fortunate: his wife had a baby girl eight days ago; so now he is released from active duty. However, one of Beni's students was among the first to be injured. In addition, four of his fellow army reservists have been killed in the past three weeks of fighting. The family had just been pleasantly hosted by families in Efrat. (Guess what their new daughter's name is?) And now they are in a hotel for a few days, and what will be next? Looking back a year, I think, "Haven't we been there before?" A lady comes up to us crying: "I heard that you can help. We need places for four families…" Meir Schwartz, the Israel Center's director of outreach projects has taken the lead in much of the support work that the Israel Center is undertaking. He quickly pulls out his trusty cell phone and the lady holds back her tears to catch on to a therapeutically positive action as she scribbles down a useful contact number provided by Meir. On this mission, Rabbi Weinreb has brought balabatim from the OU and is accompanied by Yitzchak Fund, President of the OU Israel Center. Yitzchak adds, "The Israel Center is the extended arm of the OU. The extensive and generous help given by our constituency in the US is making happen all our efforts to support the refugees from the north of the country." I am thinking of how accurate these words are even as the children are piling over the presents brought for them by this keenly concerned group. AM YISRAEL'S GREATEST WEAPON In Ramat Hasharon we visit the Bayit Hayehudi that we established as an outreach center in what is one of Israel's largest hubs of secular Jews. Here we learn of what is really Am Yisrael's greatest weapon, even as we hear the horrendous news of the casualties over the border. We learn of secular Jews brought to Yiddishkeit through the nurturing and soft-selling activities at this thriving center. We learn of teachers and students who have bonded spiritually. We also learned of enthusiastic children who scared off the police who tried to evict the Bayit Hayehudi workers at their school premises. "We want more!" they cried; "Let the police put on Tefillin!" they chanted. Now over 1500 children in secular schools have Jewish enrichment classes, courtesy of Meir Schwartz, et al. And this weapon is so powerful. Door-to- door visits, discussions on personal relationships and Kabbala, Oneg Shabbat programs for school kids (The teachers asked: "And when can we have our own Kabbala Program?") - and so much more. Also, in Tiberias (once again when the war is over) and in Ariel and in places you might never have heard of, such as Lachish and Kibbutz Na'an. In fact, all over the country… NOW IS THE TIME TO SAY TEHILLIM. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita is the Chief Rabbi of Zefat. He was almost in tears when he spoke to us. The rabbi came down especially from Zefat to meet the mission. What a zechut in these trying times! As he talked to us he admitted that his mind was on the soldiers. The outpouring of chesed from everywhere overwhelms him. The rabbi could not stress enough how the visits of the OU volunteers and their gifts gave chizuk to the residents of the North. Rabbi Eliyahu tells of the Giborim, the heroes of Zefat. The shells are raining down near his house. They hit the Tzofnat building next to the Abuhav shul. In the nearby Bet Knesset, however, even as the shells whistle overhead and the bombs spit death, the prayers in the shul continued. Now is the time to give an encouraging word. Now is the time to say Tehillim and, yes, to distribute Tehillim to all the houses in the North of the country. For now, paradoxically, the people are ready. It's difficult to pray; but now more than ever we must be strong and daven. The times are difficult. In the post Disengagement period there is much concern. But nevertheless we must pray for the soldiers going into battle. These are not my words. These are the words of a courageous rabbi from Zefat who is risking his life every day for the spiritual welfare of our people. We can but take heed and do our share, those of us nearer and those of us further from the smoke and the dust. MUCH TO DO. Clearly, there are mixed feelings about our soldiers after the Disengagement. Yet these boys (and some women too) are giving their lives to defend us, as we speak. So, when we went to Gush Etzion with Rabbi Weinreb to see the work that our Center is doing with officers in the IDF, it was with great satisfaction that we found the soldiers listening to Chassidic songs and stories, having viewed the audio-visual presentation about the Gush Etzion heroes who fell in Israel's War of Independence. These soldiers - part of our Lichyot Beyachad program under the leadership of Rafi Even Danan - were finally experiencing an Israel they hardly knew before. Moreover, this particular group of officers was working with a group of college-age army volunteers from overseas, as if to close the circle for the Jewish people. I had the opportunity to trigger a discussion on Jewish-Zionist identity that later was picked up by Rabbi Weinreb. I thought to myself: "What better time to raise these issues among young Jews from Israel and the Diaspora than while Israel is grappling with the meaning of the current conflict over the border and within its own ranks. When we followed this event with a visit to the Israel Center's Mo'adon (youth club) for youth at risk in Nitzan, I wondered perhaps for the hundredth time at the diversity of the programs that the OU runs in Israel. This program, sponsored almost exclusively by the Beth El Ateret Yisrael Congregation of Newton, Mass.,was now in full swing as for the first time in a year, the Gush Katif orchestra was playing, albeit with a somewhat eclectic assemblage of musical instruments. Rabbi Kaminetsky, the rabbi of Gush Katif, having suffered from the strains of the past year was now furtively optimistic. The support of the OU in this project - and a number of other programs for youth over the year - made all the difference. We saw for ourselves: Finally, there were people walking around, kids bouncing on rubber play things, Jews strolling to Maariv… Yet, said the rabbi, there is much to do: Yes! These same despondent youth who were dispirited last year were the first to volunteer up north in the current situation! And we helped restore to them their self-respect and community spirit. I thought: "Oseh shalom bimromav who ya'aseh shalom aleinu ve'al kol yisrael ve'imru Amen." - that may He who makes peace above bestow peace (extrinsic and inner peace) on us and upon all of Israel… And let us say Amen. - M.P. In addition to the programs for the North described above, the Israel Center, with the generous support of donations solicited by the OU and the Israel Center, has been active in sending volunteers to add cheer to hundreds of trapped Israelis in shelters all across the north of the country, in running programs of a spiritual nature in the beach Tent Camp in Nitzanit, in distributing kits with games, Tehilim, basic toiletries and nosh to thousands of residents in the North and in providing programs to refugees in hotels across the country. Israel Center Tzafona “Camps” in the shelters. It was decided that we would start up “camps” within the shelters. For this purpose we gathered many volunteers from all over the country and sent them up north. We divided the north into two separate areas. Eliyahu Ferjun, the Israel Center’s outreach coordinator in Ariel, coordinated the eastern area that includes Tiberias, Hatzor, Zefat and Kiryat Shemona. The western area, under the direction of Meir Schwartz, the Center’s director of community outreach, covered Haifa and the Krayot, Acco and Nahariya. Our people were sent to each area to investigate the specific needs of the local shelter people in the various locations. Following this initial survey, it was decided to send with the volunteers 200 packages that included fans, stereos, electric water heaters, arts and crafts, books, disposable paper goods, tables, movies on video and DVD, music discs, equipment for babies, sweets, and board games for children and adults. The funds to make this happen originated through the generous gifts sent to the OU's Israel Emergency Fund. In addition, we sent psychologists and social workers to offer emotional help and performing artists to lift the people’s spirit. We sent four pairs of volunteers with packages to each of the tens of shelters with the goal of bringing just a little cheer and support to the unfortunate victims. The response was incredible! The parents gratefully expressed their thanks with comments like, “Finally we have a moment of peace and quiet!” And the children were very happy too. From door to door. In the “Krayot” area, we went from door to door, from shelter to shelter, giving out little “happy kits” that included Shabbat candles, Tehilim, and Kiddush books illustrated by the well-known artist Refael Abukasis. Thousands of these kits were given out and we received very positive feedback. Spiritual Hotline. In addition to the above we set up a “spiritual” first aid hotline: 1-800-300-613. Each person that turned to us was able to receive help regarding any religious issue and, indeed, we received many requests for assistance regarding halachic questions. For example, one man asked: “My wife lost her wedding ring while running to the shelter and I bought her new ring: does this call for a special blessing?” We referred this question to the Chief Rabbi of Zefat, Harav Shmuel Eliyahu, who answered: “The husband should take his wife for a quiet evening meal and together they should make the Shehechiyanu blessing in honor of their renewing their relationship.” The words of the Rav encouraged the panic-stricken couple. In the hotels. Our activities in hotels all across the country started when a large number of people were evacuated from their shelters to different hotels, schools, and yeshivot. We sent our teams to these places where they conducted a number of different activities including psychological help to parents and their children who were suffering from anxiety due to the war. To these places we also sent entertainers and artists. For example, the singer Aharon Razael performed in the Knesset Towers Hotel and in the evacuees’ tent city of Nitzanim. The teams, mostly made up of young people, went to various hotels. In some cases, we took the children out for two-day camps. One such group from Moshav Avivim (on the Lebanese border) that was staying in a hotel in Netanya was taken to Jerusalem for two days. Their program included visits to the City of David and the Kotel tunnels. These two fun-packed days were rounded off by a visit to the Israel Center where, among others, the group met with Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President of the OU in America. The meeting was very exciting and was accompanied by song and Chassidic stories. Each child received a game as a gift from the Israel Center and the group left the center very enthusiastic and excited by this special experience. Special thanks to one our most active volunteers, Miriam Tekuzener, who single- handedly arranged for hundreds of packages to be sent to different shelters and army bases. Miriam also successfully organized a one- week vacation for Nahariya residents. She gained access to the campus of the Hesder Yeshiva in Petach-Tikva and arranged for 20 families to stay there. In addition, she arranged caterers to bring them food, hotels to contribute sheets and towels, and for many volunteers to run the various activities for these families. A Spiritual Center in a Tent City. The Israel Center was also active in the beach side tent city of Nitzanim set up by philanthropist Arkady Geidemak, which housed no less than 8000 temporary residents from the North. The people were given free meals, activities, and entertainment of all sorts all throughout the day. Unfortunately the spiritual aspect was neglected. So the Israel Center volunteers set up a “Spiritual Center” that included a Beit Knesset, Beit Midrash, and shiurim for children and adults. In addition, we arranged concerts that were full of joy and holiness. Each Shabbat saw a new team of 60 volunteers who did amazing work. Each evening, rabbis of the “Tzohar” organization arrived to complement these activities by giving shiurim till the late hours of the night to thousands of participants. From Tiberias to the Golan. In the first week of the War, we ran a Shabbaton in the Golan, led by Rabbi Ohad Baruchi, head of the Bayit Yehudi for the members of our Kehillot Yisrael outreach project in Tiberias. For the 80 people who participated – all residents of Tiberias – the Shabbaton gave them spiritual and emotional tools to help them cope with the situation and the difficulties they were experiencing after being locked up in bomb shelters. Tefilot in the front lines. Meir Schwartz initiated the printing of thousands of tefilot for soldiers before they go out to battle. The tefilot were obtained with the assistance of Rav Eliyahu and printed and distributed on the front lines with the aid of funds from our Torah Tidbits appeal. Solidarity with Makom Balev. Lastly, our Makom Balev (NCSY in Israel) youngsters participated in camps this summer that were originally to have taken place in the North. Instead, last minute changes took the groups to the desert where the children enjoyed camel back riding, ropes and ladders in the Tamar Canyon, collecting colorful sand from the Big Crater site, as well as exploring the Negev Desert. The camp began, however, with the group picking abandoned vegetables in a field near Rehovot where they were joined by some thirty participants of the NCSY Kollel who were learning in Israel for the summer. It was a great opportunity to bond and for both groups to show their solidarity to the Northern victims, as they saw the products of their labors being taken off in wagons to the north of the country. For our children from Sderot it was especially exciting – finally getting away from the familiar sound of the “shachar adom” siren that they have unfortunately grown so accustomed to. For these children the past few days have been more than just fun – they have been a great relief from the day-to-day stresses of siege. We were glad that with all the attention being given to the North, we were still able to do something meaningful and positive for these children of the South. This last Shabbat saw a ”training” Shabbaton for the Makom Balev madrichim from Nahariya and Sderot at Karnei Shomron. The Shabbat was “shared” with tens of refugees from the North staying at this yishuv. Notes Yisrael Goren, Director of Makom Balev: “You cannot imagine the atmosphere. In the middle of a war and with our soldiers dying, we hugged the evacuees, sang with them… and then our madrichim sat down to learn, to discuss how to educate this generation, how we can do better for Am Yisrael. You cannot begin to imagine how the Shabbat was so important for everyone…” Still a lot to do. Meir Schwartz sums it up: “In the aftermath of this war, there is still a lot of work awaiting us to assist people mentally and physically. We at the OU Israel Center will continue to make every effort to continue our contribution to Am Yisrael in the spirit of Torat Yisrael.” [The
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