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Kolot launches ‘Restart’ program to rebuild Gaza Envelope

The program aims to rebuild the Gaza Envelope, founded in memory of Ofir Libstein, mayor of Sha’ar HaNegev who was killed on Oct. 7.

The inaugural meeting of Restart,  a program focused on rebuilding the Gaza Envelope through innovative social initiatives and leadership empowered by Jewish values. Credit: Courtesy of Kolot.
The inaugural meeting of Restart, a program focused on rebuilding the Gaza Envelope through innovative social initiatives and leadership empowered by Jewish values. Credit: Courtesy of Kolot.

“From the first moment, I have looked forward to each meeting of Restart. The meetings fulfill me, they move me, and they call me to action, to rise up and grow from the crisis.”

Participant Esther Akiva of Kibbutz Sa’ad in southern Israel

Kolot announces the launch of the “Restart” program, a transformative initiative dedicated to revitalizing communities in Israel’s Gaza envelope region. This pioneering program, launched in mid-May, honors the memory of Ofir Libstein, the mayor of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council who lost his life on Oct. 7. He was a valued graduate of Kolot’s local government leadership program. Restart is supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and private donors.

The program is a beacon of hope and resilience for Israel. Bringing together 15 civic leaders and entrepreneurs from the Gaza Envelope, all from different backgrounds, the program focuses on rebuilding the region through innovative social initiatives by a leadership empowered by Jewish values. Participants, each with a proven track record of driving change, engage in a unique blend of Jewish, text-based learning, peer networking and professional consultation. Their initiatives include business development, educational outreach, tourism, welfare, community building and the arts—all dedicated to rebuilding the Gaza Envelope and beyond.

For more than 25 years, Kolot has brought leaders together from across Israeli society, enabling them to address modern challenges through the power of text-based learning. Kolot graduates have continuously harnessed these values to influence their spheres of impact, fortifying Israel as a moral, Jewish and democratic state.

Led by Leon Wiener Dow, Kolot’s director of beit midrash, and Shoshana Steiner-Tsarfati, Kolot’s chief operating officer, Restart offers participants an opportunity to delve deep into Jewish values while receiving the practical tools needed to turn their visions into reality. The first meeting’s study theme explored crisis as a catalyst for inner resilience and new possibilities. Inspired by American philosopher Jonathan Lear’s concept of “radical hope,” participants were encouraged to envision a future where the good they strive for transcends current understanding.

As Israel confronts the profound challenges in the wake of Oct. 7, Restart positions itself at the forefront of societal recovery and innovation. The program will help rehabilitate the Gaza Envelope and other affected areas by cultivating local leadership rooted in Jewish values, bolstered by professional expertise and driven by a collective mission to rebuild.

Participants from the Restart program will travel this month to Chicago and Detroit. There, they will meet with community leaders and peer professionals to showcase their projects, strengthen their connections to American Jewish communities and develop a sense of shared destiny.

Elyasaf Miyara, a resident of Shokeda, is an Israeli graffiti artist who made it his mission to beautify roadside bomb shelters into a calming oasis for families when they need to escape. Each of the beautified shelters has at least two stories—the visual story of their art and the stories of how they save lives. Miyara will work to create a network of stories with the hope they can be shared virtually and mapped onto a route for those visiting the region.

For more information, email: Jacky Sherman @ jacky@kolot.info.

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Kolot, an Israel-based nonprofit, was founded in 1997 after the assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin to help the State of Israel realize core Jewish ethical principles and spiritual ideals. Kolot seeks to advance sustainable social change in Israel by creating an infrastructure of values that are inspired by the Jewish tradition and embraced by all segments of Israel’s diverse society. Kolot invites leaders into its beit midrash (house of study) to learn from Jewish sources; to engage in constructive disagreement; and to share with one another responsibility for Israeli society. The name “Kolot” (voices in Hebrew) reflects our commitment to pluralism and inclusion of all voices within Israel. Our beit midrash buzzes with the voices of participants from all parts of the rich Israeli tapestry: Jews of different affiliations, Bedouin, Druze and Palestinian Israelis. In this way, Kolot works to ensure that Israel maintains its identity as both a Jewish and a democratic state.
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