The terror attack on Simchat Torah 5784, Oct. 7, 2023, woke the people of Israel up to horrors we never thought were possible within the boundaries of our sovereign state. The Hamas terrorists and their accomplices from the Gaza Strip slaughtered, raped and abducted men, women and children, and perpetrated the greatest massacre the Jewish people have experienced since the Holocaust. Words will not suffice to describe it all. This being said, these horrors kindled the Jewish flame, and reinvigorated the unity and solidarity among our people.
After more than a year at war, during which time there have been countless expressions of gratitude and appreciation toward the soldiers, the security forces, the reservists and the ordinary citizens who have all pulled their weight to the max, I would like to say a few words of thanks to our Jewish brethren in the Diaspora.
There are significant differences of opinion between parts of the Israeli public and Diaspora Jewry regarding the shape of the state going forward, how the country should shape its religious identity, the steps taken by various governments and issues arising within Israeli society itself. Many of our Diaspora families have felt themselves drifting away from Israel, uncertain they would ever again be able to call it “home.” However, on Oct. 7, given the horrors that engulfed the country and the trauma inflicted on its people—their own flesh and blood—it seems the differences were set aside and there was a worldwide surge to our side.
The first thing that happened was that the Diaspora Jewry raised funds and donated (prior to April) some $1.4 billion or NIS 5.1 billion. Roughly half of money this came from the Jewish Federations of North America. The money they donated went towards medical care and emergency provisions, educational institutions, state organizations, the needy, Holocaust survivors, volunteer work and so forth. Additionally, Israel Bonds raised some $3.6 billion in State of Israel bonds.
In addition to the financial donations, Jews from the Diaspora arrived in person to volunteer in Israel. More than 58,000 thousand Jews, as of March, came from the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and other countries to volunteer and reach out to the local population. Among the programs and organizations that coordinated the volunteer work were the Masa Israel Journey program, HaShomer HaChadash, Leket Israel and Sar-El.
Another initiative manifesting the interpersonal bond that formed between communities in Israel and the Diaspora is Project 24. As part of it, Jewish communities in North America were paired with 24 frontline communities from the Gaza Envelope and northern Israel to help them devise creative solutions for their problems and meaningful ties between the communities.
Diaspora Jews also voiced their support in their home countries in the form of rallies and pro-Israel demonstrations. Political outreach and support for the State of Israel was also extended—an extremely important, priceless effort.
For example, November 2023 saw the largest rally in support of Israel that has ever been seen in the history of the United States as more than 300,000 people gathered in person to express their support for Israel with another 250,000 watching it live on the Internet. In Britain, several large rallies were held in support of Israel, including one in which tens of thousands of Jews marched alongside former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to counter antisemitism and show their solidarity with the Jewish community in the United Kingdom.
France also saw a pro-Israel demonstration in November 2023, in which more than 180,000 people from across the country took part along with some 100,000 people who participated in the main rally in Paris. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne attended, as did representatives from across the entire political spectrum, and former presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.
Thousands and thousands of college and university students worldwide also held events in support of Israel despite the hostile atmosphere that prevailed on the various campuses.
As far as outreach is concerned, Jews from around the world organized outreach delegations and met with leaders, including heads of state, presidents, mayors, the pope and others.
Across social media and in the mainstream media, Diaspora Jews voiced their ardent support for Israel. They posted videos, launched outreach initiatives and held interviews in which they showed their support for Israel and its right to defend itself.
If we try to imagine what this war would have looked like in the absence of support from the Diaspora Jewry, we would probably be looking at a totally different state of affairs.
Without your financial support and numerous initiatives, communities from the Gaza Envelope up all the way to the northern border would have been bereft of most, or perhaps any, solutions to their respective predicaments. Many soldiers would have been waiting a long time for the personal gear they needed to wage war. The State of Israel would have found itself in need of billions more shekels and would have been forced to raise the funds in the form of bonds, probably under considerably less favorable terms than the current bonds.
Without the political influence and support of Jews in the Diaspora, it is safe to assume that Israel would have been subjected to a much more dire international standing by now. The pro-Israel rallies and demonstrations all over Europe, North and South America, Australia and other countries counterbalanced the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place the world over. The reach of the Diaspora Jews’ political connections went a long way towards securing support and diplomatic leeway for the military maneuvers to take place, the supply of armaments to continue and the war to proceed.
This support remained forthcoming even though within the countries they are living in, many Jews have been and are being victims of increasing antisemitism, verbal abuse and even bodily harm. Even though they are being persecuted and threatened—in their schools, their colleges and, sometimes, even in their synagogues or homes—for supporting Am Israel, they stand with us, their brethren, in Eretz Israel.
In recognition of your unwavering support and the fact that without it we would now be in a different place in this war, I personally feel compelled to reach out personally to you, our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, to express my heartfelt gratitude for your tremendous contribution. We in Israel appreciate your assistance so much. We cherish your standing by our side, despite the difficulties and threats involved.
We shall continue to fight for you. We will continue to bolster our historic partnership so you will be able to live in peace and security as Jews in other countries. This is our moral obligation; it is our responsibility as one people. We are committed to doing our best to protect you, and we want you to know that despite any differences we may have—regardless of any divergence of world views—the State of Israel remains your home in perpetuity. There will always be a place for you here, to live among us as equal citizens.
