Global hearts fuel Israel's defense: Immigrants rally to back war effort

Young immigrants (olim) in Israel are experiencing a range of emotions as they watch their Israeli brothers and sisters stand strong on the front lines as the country manages war with its enemies. Newcomers over the age of 22 do not have to serve in the army. Olim who have moved to Israel as adults are now working to show their country how much they care. Israel’s devoted immigrant community is stepping up to the plate for the war effort.

The movement’s inception was rooted in the urgency to send crucial supplies to soldiers, who were facing logistical challenges in the field. Silvana Rabinovich, 30, was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She has lived in the United States, Canada, and Spain. She made aliyah in February of 2023 and believes that Israel is her home. With some extended family already living in the Holy Land, Rabinovich has been riding around the country with her uncle, working to support her cousins in combat. One is 20 years old, and the other is a reservist, aged 27.

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“My two cousins are like brothers [to me]. It [the volunteering] started as a family and friends effort, and it’s now extended to all. The attitude and energy in the bases is positive. It’s even exciting,” Rabinovich said. “They [the soldiers] are all on the border, training and moving around. A lot of them were in the South the first day and had to kill terrorists in defense.”

Bringing food, supplies to soldiers during war

Rabinovich spent the first part of the war delivering food and supplies to soldiers.

“There wasn’t enough stock,” she said. “They needed food. So we started sending meals to soldiers. It’s urgent. We need people to protect us. We have to keep the attitude and inner strength of the soldiers up as well.”

Rabinovich began taking on other requests. Her cousin’s unit needed things like sleeping bags, tape, tools, and even anti-fungal creams. She set up shop at the Norman hotel in Tel Aviv where staff are letting her and a small team work in exchange for keeping their kitchen and bar busy with food and drink orders.

“A lot of people are not working or are in the reserves. The country will take an economic hit. Everything we can do to support, we should do,” Rabinovich said.

When the war operation started becoming larger, the team opened a GoFundMe page, where they could receive donations from the public using the established online platform. The team raised $11,000 for the army when the platform paused the service, explaining that the fund-raiser was not in line with their policy, which bans fundraising for political or conflict-related items. GoFundMe explained that the collected funds would only be released if they would go to a registered charity that had no affiliations.

Under the aegis of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), they established a registered charity dedicated to aiding civilians affected by the conflict. This allowed them to continue supporting those in need.

Team organizing wellness events to hep individuals cope with trauma

The group expanded their efforts beyond supplying physical items. In an effort to help refugees, the team is now organizing wellness events, such as meditations and healing workshops to help individuals cope with trauma. The initiative seeks not only to address immediate needs but also to facilitate long-term recovery. There are 500,000 people displaced from Israel’s South. Many are living in hotels throughout Tel Aviv.

“They are lost, traumatized, and living in hotels. There are women without husbands, and they have little kids. It’s a tough situation. They could use a lifeline. So we [re-]focused the fund on that,” Rabinovich said.

The long-term operation, coined Am Israel Chai (AIC), is primarily operated by fellow immigrants Ilan Kon-Weiner and Adi Simkin.

Another passionate individual who has gained momentum for his volunteering is Ari Gutman. A returning citizen to Israel from New Jersey, he recounted his personal journey of regret about not having served in the IDF. Although he petitioned the army and wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking to enter the forces, Gutman was not permitted to join the IDF when he arrived in Israel as a 27-year-old. Today, after two years in the country, he is living through his first war. He is volunteering to organize items going to those in need and has already raised a large amount of money to support the demand for items as well.

“I am broken-hearted, and it’s incredibly hard for me to sit here right now and raise money… because I don’t feel that’s enough,” Gutman said. “And I don’t feel that’s how I am meant to give. There’s a hole in my heart, and that will be there forever.”

Gutman says he still has a sliver of hope that Netanyahu will read his e-mail and allow him to enlist.

Another participant, Brian Spivak, expressed similar sentiments, emphasizing his unwavering dedication to the nation. Spivak has been using his mornings to do a variety of field work, such as checking people in at a hotel housing refugees; and helping to organize and package supplies, clothing, and toiletries. He has engaged in meaningful conversation with displaced individuals who have needed to have a chat. He also worked on an assembly line for food boxes being prepared out of the David Intercontinental Hotel kitchen. Spivak is still working for his tech company but makes use of his schedule skewing late. He begins responding to his primarily American clients in the late afternoon.

Spivak noted that shortly after war broke out, Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square was alive with booths set up for the effort. Each booth had a different objective.

“The sight before me was incredible,” Spivak said. “Dizengoff had been the epicenter of the insane division we had in our country just days before [the war]...and it turned into this beautiful unity, regardless of political affiliation. Or religious affiliation. The whole country was coming together. I realized how serious this is.”

Spivak was referring to late September when public Yom Kippur services around Tel Aviv had been aggressively broken up by anti-religion, anti-gender segregation protesters. An internal religious versus secular conflict caused a lot of strong feelings throughout the city. Word reached the upper echelons of Israeli political society and caused top-ranking officials to need to comment. This was with the 10-month anti judicial reform protest as a backdrop. The movement had ripped the country apart.

The concept of sinat hinam (baseless hatred) has been discussed quietly and internally among Israelis of various communities around the country. Baseless hatred is widely understood by the Jewish people as one of the causes for the holy Temple being destroyed. Torah-observant Jews understand that engaging in baseless hatred could result in extreme repercussions. As the country pulls together for its survival, many have made note of the dramatic shift.

One returning immigrant to Israel from Canada, Yulia Fedorov, is working an operation to send heartfelt messages to soldiers. Fedorov sends personalized notes on behalf of the international community. She has a site set up called letterstothefrontlines.com, where people can type and submit letters from anywhere in the world. She then handwrites their messages on paper that can be tucked into meal boxes. She is receiving great feedback from soldiers through her Instagram DM.

“I think that seeing support from outside of Israel is impactful, to feel the international support. I’ve received message from Egypt, Germany, Switzerland and Mexico,” Fedorov said.

Fedorov believes that offering words of encouragement and gratitude to those risking their lives on the front lines is an effective way to provide a powerful emotional boost to the soldiers.

She said she hopes the notes will make our nation’s defenders feel a little bit better.

“I hope they feel a little more supported, like there are people who believe in them, their country. And regardless of what the media is saying, there are people behind them,” Fedorov said. ■

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