For so many Israelis and Jews around the world, Oct. 7 changed life as we know it. I was no exception, as the Hamas massacre came a mere two months after I assumed a new position in the world of shlichut (serving as an Israeli emissary).
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In August, I began working with Jewish Agency Campus Israel Fellows across North America. The Israel Fellows are young emissaries who spend one to three years working closely with Hillel to inspire college students and faculty alike, connecting them with Israel and helping them create meaningful relationships with Israel and Israelis.
This meant that I was building Israel-Diaspora bridges with a new target audience. On October 7, our world shattered. Yet at the Israel Fellows program, we lifted our heads up and supported the emissaries. We emphasized the importance of strengthening the connections between Israel and the world Jewry – especially during the darkest of days for all of us.
This period was complex and challenging, with shifting worldviews and shaken personal security. The bridges we built over the years – and the resulting sense of Jewish peoplehood – became more essential than ever. In January, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel on a special Hillel "scouts" mission with colleagues from across the Hillel movement. The primary goal of the mission was for us as professionals and educators to witness the situation on the ground, to understand what was happening in Israel in preparation for future trips to Israel by students and young adults from North America, and to prepare staff for what needs to change about these trips due to the war.
The four-day mission primarily consisted of meetings with various Israelis, to listen to their stories from October 7 and the war, understand the current situation, and attempt to hear as many voices and learn as many perspectives as possible. One of the most significant encounters was a meeting with Dr. Rachel Korazim, a lecturer in Hebrew literature and poetry. She introduced us to new Hebrew poetry being written these days on social media – poetry about the massacre, the war, and Israelis' experiences. Through poetry, in just two hours, she managed to introduce us to a wide range of people and perspectives.
With each conversation, I understood how each Israeli serves as a bridge for the Americans in the delegation. After every meeting, they understand more, were more connected, and wanted more connections. I realized how important my Israeli voice was in the visiting group, but more importantly, how important it is for me to understand the perspectives of Jews living on both sides of the Atlantic.
It also hearkened back to the beginning of my shlichut journey. My first role with The Jewish Agency for Israel came in the summer of 2007, when I embarked on my first shlichut as a summer camp counselor. It's not an exaggeration to say that my world changed that summer. I discovered a new world, met new people, and encountered a different and fresh Judaism. Socially, I felt at home, and professionally, I realized that I was here to stay. I wanted to be the one building this bridge between these people, this world, and my family and friends in Israel. Since that summer, I have been working in the Jewish world, connecting Israel to the world and the world to Israel – through people. Only through people can this bridge be built.
I spent eight summers at camp in North America, and for three years, I accompanied the same group of campers. I don't know what it was about them, but they found their way into my heart. In their final year as campers, we brought in a specialist to help them write and start the college admissions process, and they participated in an exercise on writing a composition as part of a college application. The first assignment he asked them to do was to write on a note three names of people who changed their lives. From there, he continued to explain how to weave them into their story. At the end of the session, as I was cleaning up, I picked up papers from the floor, and there it caught my eye. Some of them wrote down my name as someone who influenced their lives. That sense of responsibility hit me. I understood the meaning of education and the meaning of all that I'm doing here.
This sense of responsibility made me want to continue doing more, to have a greater impact. And so, I went on a long-term shlichut. I arrived in a new community where there had never been an Israeli emissary before. They said, "We're trying, we only have funding for one year." During the shlichut, I connected with young and older children alike, and I was present at every event and gathering. I spoke about myself (mostly!) and they wanted to hear more. They wanted to connect. They invited me into their homes, their hearts, and their community. At the end of the year, the chairman of the synagogue board approached me and said, "Zohar, we found the money – we want you to stay for another year." Another bridge was built.
After eight summers at the camp, a long-term shlichut in the Reform community in Texas, and several years of work with Jewish communities across North America guiding hundreds of Shlichim, I understood the importance of connection and direct relationships. Today, I assist the Israel Fellows in their work to give students a chance to develop a personal relationship with Israelis and learn what Israel is really all about. Throughout this journey, the importance of peoplehood has always been clear.
The shared experience of being part of the global Jewish people – especially after Oct. 7 – highlights that there's pain for everyone, but it's expressed differently for each person. It's important to stop and listen to one another's pain. One case that deeply moved me was that throughout all the meetings during the recent mission, the Israelis we met with gave the Americans renewed strengthened. Our team members spoke about how strange yet inspiring it is that Israelis, who had just been so deeply traumatized, are strengthening them when there is an actual war transpiring in Israel.
I returned to my shlichut in the US understanding why it's more important than ever to have Israel Fellows on campus. We build relationships, making sure that the most important conversations happen. And we bring campus communities together as people, across perceived differences and similarities. If October 7 changed us forever, we are here as a guiding light for navigating changing times.
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