By Rachel Blum
I was honored and deeply humbled to serve alongside 7 other chevre as a Board Observer for the Jewish Agency for Israel Board of Governors. The scope and scale of tragedy Israelis experienced on October 7 cannot be articulated in a few sentences, but was viscerally felt by all of us as we heard from the families of hostages, chayalim (IDF soldiers), and those working to put their lives back together after losing a loved one to unthinkable acts of terrorism. Every Israeli we spoke to had a story of both personal bereavement and heroism.
Although my anguish and horror will not diminish, I take comfort in my certainty that the Jewish people have always been stronger than their pain, and are more resilient than any tragedy. Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog charged us to turn our pain into meaningful actions that make our lives count. Through the power of our local Federations and JFNA National Young Leadership Cabinet, we have both the power and responsibility to do more than we ever have before in support of the State and people of Israel.
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