For much of my adult life, I have been engaged with the work of ORT, the global education network. I cannot begin to count the hours I have spent at meetings, on missions, visiting schools around the world or on Zoom calls.
But the single most rewarding experience of my time in this organization was the day I just spent with 21 of our Israeli students at my own home in Connecticut.
This group of young people—each of whom lost a family member or friend in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 or the months of violence against Israel since then—traveled to the United States as part of a respite delegation led by educators and counselors from World ORT Kadima Mada, our operational arm in Israel.
The two-week trip in July fostered a sense of normalcy, unity, and importantly fun, despite the challenging circumstances. The students took part in activities at JCC summer camps, cultural exchanges and recreational programming such as days out at Wild Play parks.
But crucially, they also benefited from one-to-one and group counseling sessions every day, helping them process what they have been through and the emotional impact of this unprecedented upheaval and loss in their lives. This need for psychological support will remain extremely high throughout Israel, especially among these “first circle” trauma victims, for a long time to come.
The trip was laced with its own mix of emotion, tragedy and pain. The group was renamed the “Eyal Delegation” in honor of Sgt. Eyal Shynes, 19, of the Israel Defense Forces’ Nahal Brigade, who was killed in the Gaza Strip just days before the group left Israel. His mother, Mirav, is the manager of a World ORT Kadima Mada YOUniversity project in northern Israel and was due to go to the United States with the students.
And so when the delegation arrived at our small, historic synagogue in Amenia across the state border in New York, we didn’t know what to expect. We found a packed congregation had turned out to welcome the Israelis. It felt like a High Holiday. When the rabbi gave the group a blessing, and then community members said Kaddish, it was indescribable.
Later, when we reconvened at our house, the teenagers dived into the homemade ice-cream, snacks—and the lake—with relish.
Many of them played with our dog, Maple. She’s a gentle, black Labrador, and the kids could not leave her alone. Dogs are widely used in therapy, and so it allowed us to see these young people as themselves, outside of their school environment, relaxed and able to let go of everything they have been holding these past 10 months.
The finale of their day was perhaps the most impactful. As a blue-and-white cake iced with the words “Am Yisrael Chai” was placed on the counter, we played the song “Jerusalem of Gold.” All of a sudden, the students and their teachers, together with our friends and other visitors, stood swaying, arms around each other, waving the lights from their phones. Everyone was crying. It was very special; it was unexpected, unplanned and unrehearsed. The participants had such a sense of unity. You could see their love of their country in their eyes.
The day was a microcosm of what our colleagues in Israel are doing nonstop. In the most challenging of circumstances, they work to help the students deal with these traumatic experiences; each has a story of loss and pain. Staff themselves remain evacuated from their homes and communities in northern Israel. We continue to work in evacuation centers across the country, helping thousands of young people, as well as their teachers and family members, deal with the upheaval, plan for the future and continue their education.
Like many organizations working in Israel or Jewish communities worldwide, we talk about delivering impact but too often measure it in terms of refurbished buildings and new constructions. We must not lose sight of who receives the real benefits: the students, teachers, social workers and families at the heart of everything we do. Whether it is delivering our extra-curricular programs in the Galilee or running our youth village close to the Gaza border, the true impact of our supporters’ dedication and our decades-long work is most clearly measured in the hearts and minds of this group of young people.
I have been fortunate to have some amazing experiences during my time with ORT—meeting former President Bill Clinton and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, visiting schools and communities around the world—but nothing prepared me for the unbelievably moving moment of witnessing those children in my own home, joining to share a sense of togetherness, belief and hope in a more positive future.
I will never forget it. It will be the catalyst for me to rededicate myself to supporting our global ORT family as we continue our vital work.
