Making a difference in our own backyard and around the world

I have traveled to Israel more than 30 times to visit my parents who live there, but my recent mission to Greece and Israel was the most powerful trip I have ever experienced.

Mitzi Berkelhammer, Alliance campaign chair, and I traveled to Greece and Israel with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Campaign Chairs and Directors Mission to see firsthand how our dollars make an impact on Jewish communities overseas. Little did we know that we would be joining Israel in solidarity during such a time of crisis. 

By the time we landed in Tel Aviv, rockets had already begun their assault from Gaza. It was unnerving and alarming to land at Ben Gurion airport after midnight and begin our journey with an emergency drill to get off the bus in under 60 seconds and lie on the ground in case of attack.

Before arriving in Israel, our group of 120 professionals and lay leaders spent three days in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece, visiting a Jewish community that has grown from the absolute destruction of the Holocaust to a strong, tight-knit group of 5,000 today. In 2011, the economic downfall struck Greece, and especially the Jewish community, hard. It was difficult for this proud, self-sufficient community to turn to Jews from around the world to ask for help. But with over 60 percent unemployment among young people and real estate losing most of its value, the community had no choice.

And we responded. The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, along with the JFNA, through our partnership with the Jewish Agency and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) began to provide security for Greek Jewish institutions, teachers for their schools, scholarships, aliyah assistance, an Israeli emissary, Israeli counselors for camp and more.

On our way to visit the Jewish day school in Athens, Mitzi and I wondered why we should be concerned with a struggling day school in Greece. After all, our own Jewish Community Day School has had plenty of challenges. When we arrived at the school, we were stunned to discover that every one of the 150 students and teachers had returned from summer break to greet us and thank us for supporting the community. 

It turns out that this is not just a day school – it is the heart and lifeblood of the Jewish community. It serves as a family gathering place, fitness club and recreation center. With anti-Semitism on the rise, one of the alumni we met said “school was a safe place, where no one was judging us, and we were all the same.” In May, the ADL published a list of the most anti-Semitic countries in Europe: Greece was number one. The study said that 69 percent of the Greek population espoused anti-Semitic views, which is the same level as Saudi Arabia and higher than France (at 37 percent).  Since the school opened in 1960, more than 1,000 kids have graduated, and 75 percent of the Jewish community has attended.  They call it the “jewel of the community.” Joanna, president of the school board, told us that the school is the institution that ties everything together, and she doubted whether the community could have survived had the school closed.

Before departing for Israel, we became aware that the situation there had escalated and that rockets had been fired. A few people decided to return home, but the majority of our group was eager to show our solidarity. Our scholar in residence, Rabbi Lerner, thoughtfully remarked that we were not just tourists traveling to Israel, but pilgrims.  

On the first day, the sirens went off at 8 a.m., and we ran to the bomb shelter in the hotel. There we were, in our bathrobes with wet hair, wondering if the Iron Dome would protect us. Little children huddled around us, shaken by the loud noise. During the four days we spent in Israel, we entered the shelter three times. Each time was easier as our confidence in the Iron Dome grew, but there was an unease surrounding us. 

We met with a panel of people from the south, where civilians only have 15 seconds to get to the shelters. We met a woman named Dahlia, who is director of the JDC Center for Independent Living in Beer Sheva, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities. She told us that life has been unimaginable for the 3,000 Jews and Bedouins she serves, and that people are sleeping on the floor of the center because they can’t afford to build shelters in their own homes or simply cannot get to safety in time. Some are even staying in her house. 

Even in Jerusalem the sirens rang out. My niece Lily, told us over Shabbat lunch that on a recent camp field trip the bus pulled over during an attack and the children were forced to get off and lie down on the highway for 10 minutes. The little ones were hysterically crying. Unfortunately this now happens daily.

The most poignant moment of the trip was meeting the parents of Gilad Shaar, who was kidnapped and killed just a few weeks ago. His father expressed gratitude for the support he received from Jews and non-Jews all over the world and hoped that this tragedy would bring more tolerance and understanding. He told the silently weeping crowd, “Our children in their death have left us a testament to keep the Jewish spirit in the heart of the Jewish people. Am Yisrael discovered once again their inner strength as we joined together as a nation.” 

As we flew out of Israel amid reports that Hamas was targeting the airport, I realized that we were not tourists, and no longer pilgrims, but had become activists. We left understanding more than ever, that when our family in Israel or Greece or anywhere else in the world is in need, we must be there for them. Even when times are hard in Rhode Island, it is our duty to help save lives, souls and spirits in our own backyard and around the globe.  

TRINE LUSTIG is vice president of philanthropy at the Jewish Alliance. She can be reached at 401-421-4111, ext. 223