Tag: freedom

Reflections from the week

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

As my three days of site visits with Rozana and two days of strategic planning with them have come to an end, I find myself thinking deeply about the experience, what it means, and how it has affected me.

As we wrapped things up over our last two days, it felt like summer camp was ending. Even though I only spent 3-5 days with the Rozana team, they became friends. Some live in Hebron and some in Ramallah. I’ll have to go visit next time I am here. Some are East Jerusalem and some Herzaliya. Some are London and some are Melbourne Australia. Some are New York and others in Jaffa. We are geographically diverse and it is not easy to hang out together until the next big gathering, just like summer camp. It was hard to say goodbye and after just five days, the experience and the people are now part of my heart and soul.

The crew at dinner in Beit Jala
Part of the group with the CEO of Al Ahli hospital
Magen David Adom without our Palestinian friends
Us on on side and the board and Dept heads of Al Ahli Hospital on the other
Outside at the Women4Women clinic as we began our journey together

I met some people at the various hospitals that became friends. Akram, the CEO of Al Rahkma Rehabilitation hospital, and I ended up seeing each other three different times. I’m looking forward to his visit to the US. Muhammad, who is a doctor and teaches at a Palestinian University, who invited me to visit the University so he could give me a tour that I look forward to taking. We sat, talking and talking over lunch, connecting and becoming friends. I want to follow up on Ruba, an amazing doctor and woman who left her Palestinian hospital to do a fellowship at Sheba to better her skills. After finishing an extended fellowship, she will be returning to her hospital to help other doctors and better serve her patients. All new friends, all Palestinian. If you told me that before the trip, I wouldn’t have believed it.

I met a few of the Rozana team on zoom before coming and there were many I only met when I arrived. Ran, Raed, and Diana went from zoom colleagues to friends, each so much better in person. Adil, Wajdi, Malak, and Muhammad each taught me so much and I am lucky to have met them and call them friends. I’m excited to learn more and hang out when I return.

I spent a lot of time with Ken, Ron, Doug and Rodica, each the board chair of their country’s Rozana board. The US, International, the UK and Israel. I’m excited to spend more time with them all.

Rozana showed me the power of connecting on a human level and how it bridges differences and gets beyond the surface level. As we work together, I’ll not only learn from them but I’ll learn more about them and then about me. We are breaking boundaries that the world tells us can’t be done right now. Proof that the talking heads and politicians are wrong and that Rozana is right. It’s people to people. Shared experiences.

I’ve been thinking a lot about these five days and the different lives we live. Not by choice but by outside forces. As I took the train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv I found myself thinking how easy that was for me yet how hard it was for Adil and Malak to go from Ramallah to Jerusalem. It was so difficult and would have taken so long that they couldn’t join us that day. It took half the time to take the train to Tel Aviv and the taxi to my hotel than it would have taken them to get to Jerusalem.

I have also been thinking about the partnerships that already exist. Israeli and Palestinian hospitals. Joint programs Rozana has with Magen David Adom, Sheba hospital and a number of other organizations. Good things are happening and there is proof that more good things can happen.

Most Jews I know have never met a Palestinian. Never spent time talking with them. Never listening and sharing. Their experiences are merely the talking heads. Many Palestinians have the same experience. There encounter with Jews are only with the IDF and are not positive ones.

This week has reminded me that we need to get beyond what we are being fed. It’s junk food. It’s not healthy for anybody. This week showed me opportunities that I didn’t think were possible for a decade or more are actually happening now!

This isn’t me being Pollyanna or brainwashed. This is my love of Israel deepening with hope. Change is possible NOW, despite the PA, the current Israeli government, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. It’s happening between people, between institutions, and through partnership.

Yes there are terrorists. Yes there are people who want no Israel and no Jews. All that isn’t true. There are far more who merely want to live their lives fully next to Israel, in partnership with Israel, and with respect from and towards Israelis. They want freedom, not the end of Israel or the Jews. That is our hope. That is our opportunity. It does exist.

After one of my long and deep conversations with a Palestinian this week, he spoke with one of the Rozana lay leaders. In the conversation he mentioned our talk and how much he enjoyed it. Then he asked the lay leader, ‘Is he Jewish?’ It shows what can happen when we meet as people, talk as people, show empathy as people, and focus on our similarities not our differences. We get beyond the stereotypes. I believe that he and I did, hence his question.

I am excited to build my friendships with the people I met and those who are my colleagues. I have much to learn from them and I believe they can learn from me. While the governments aren’t talking and building towards a better future, that doesn’t stop each and every one of us to do so.

A few years ago I learned the meaning of the word ‘Inshallah’. It means ‘If God wills it’. So I will do my part to build for a better future. I hope that you will do yours. And perhaps then we can have peace and that bright future.

Inshallah.

3 are home

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Yesterday was a challenging day, emotionally. After 471 days, three of the remaining hostages were set to be released. As expected, Hamas didn’t follow the agreement, resulting in a 2 hour delay. When word came out that ‘our girls’ were being handed to the Red Cross, it once again came with mixed reports. Terrorists and ‘innocent civilians’ were in the street, harrassing them as they were taken to the Red Cross. If you aren’t aware, the Red Cross is the most expensive and well funded taxi service in the world. In 471 days, they have yet to visit a hostage, to make sure they get medicine, and are being humanely treated. They are a great taxi service between Gaza and the terrorists and Israel though. In the first hostage release they served that role and they did it again today. I have confidence that as the deal moves forward and more hostages are released, the Red Cross will continue to be an excellent taxi service between Gaza and Israel. As a relief organization, a disaster relief organization, and one that purports to take care of human beings, they simply exclude the Jews and the hostages.

The word came out that they were with the Red Cross and able to walk on their own. Soon we heard that they were officially in Israeli hands. The relief was overwhelming. After 471 days, these 3 women were finally home. They were finally safe. When the video below was released, it was comforting to see them.

We can see the bandage on Emily Damari’s hand and her missing fingers. Hamas took 2 of her fingers, shooting her in the hand and not getting her proper medical treatment. We also see she isn’t consumed by her damaged hand. She is filled with life. It’s a reminder of the difference between terrorists and the rest of us. We celebrate life. We want to live. They celebrate death and destruction. They don’t care about life.

Because I have only the worst expectations of Hamas, it didnt’ surprise me when I learned that the terrorists gave these three women ‘gift bags’ when they released them. After 471 days in captivity and who knows what torture and abuse, Hamas thought it would be nice give them a reminder of their captivity. Bags filled with pictures of them as hostages, a commemorative photo of Gaza, and a certificate. Treating their 471 days of captivity as if it was a vacation.

The girls with the Hamas gift bags.

We got to see video of the mothers of the three girls talking to them on the phone. I have met with family members and parents of hostages when I was in Israel in May and July. I’ve been the Hostage Family Forum and Hostage Square. I’ve heard the anguish in the voices. The anger, fear, and hope. I’ve felt it deep in my soul. Watching these mothers see their daughters was heartwarming. It brings hope to a terrible situation. It’s the reason we made a bad deal, because we value life and family.

The mothers of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher waiting to video chat with their daughters after 471 days of captivity,

Israel released pictures of each of the released hostages with their family. It was heartwarming. I could feel the emotion in each picture. The joy. The love. Looking at the pictures is a reminder of who we are – people who value life. People who do whatever it takes to save a life. People who will hold their nose and allow their stomachs to churn as 99 murderers, terrorists, and people who are pure evil are released from prison so that these three girls can return home. As distasteful and dangerous as it is to let these 99 terrorists back into the world, we pay the price because it is who we are and what we value. It is because of our morals and ethics. It is what makes us human and separates us from the evil that is Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Iranian regime.

Whenever I think about what a bad deal this is, how we are releasing 999 murderers and terrorists to get 33 of our hostages back, I focus on the faces of these three girls. On the faces of their mothers. On the pictures of them embracing. It’s a reminder that no matter how bad the deal is, it’s worth it. It’s worth it because we value life. It’s worth because we understand that nothing is more important than life. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) tells us:

וְכָל־הַמְקַייֵם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִילּוּ קִייֵם עוֹלָם מָלֵא הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִילּוּ אִיבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא 

Translated, this means that “Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved an entire world.” When you look at the faces of these 3 women, you realize this deal has saved 3 entire worlds. The next 41 days will be difficult as we watch terrorists and murderers released and wait anxiously for the release of the remaining 30 hostages in phase 1 of the deal. We don’t know how many are alive and how many are dead. We don’t know what will happen with the other 64 hostages and how many of them are alive and how many are dead. We know the Bibas family is on the list but are Kfir and Ariel still alive? Are their parents, Shiri and Yarden still alive? How will we react if it is only the bodies of these beautiful children are returned?

It’s a reminder of both who we are and what we are faced with. It is a reminder that whatever the cost in a deal to get our hostages back, we must remain vigilant fightng the evil of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Iranian regime.. There may be a ceasefire, but the war isn’t over because they simply want us all dead and will continue to do whatever they deem necessary to accomplish that goal. These political cartoons do a good job of showing what we face after the hostages are returned.

Peace is not easy. Peace is not free. Peace does not happen unilaterally. As we find hope in the faces of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, the faces of their mothers and their families, we need look for the hope that may result in change. The Abraham Accords. The fall of Assad. The people of Iran fighting the regime. Perhaps there will be a new world order in which we can live in peace. We can work for it, hope for it, and pray for it. We cannot act as if it is a given and allow Hamas and Hezbollah to regroup, to rearm, and to attack once again. Lives are too precious to take that risk and leave things to chance. We did that once and got October 7th. Never again.

Iran – will we let them off the hook again?

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Procrasination is something that I learned as a child would not serve me well. “Why do today what I can do tomorrow?” didn’t fly in my house growing up. I tried the argument about making my bed; I’m just getting into it tonight, so why make it? I tried to not empty the dishwasher because I could just take the dishes out and use them, just like out of the cabinet! I tried, “The project isn’t due for a few weeks, why start now?” None of it got anywhere in my house growing up. I learned that if you have to do something eventually, you might as well just get it taken care of now. It’s a pretty simple philosophy and has made life much easier for me.

It astounds me when I see smart people fail to understand this. The will put their heads in the sand, pretend not to see things, delay, delay, delay, for no purpose. At the end of the day, they still have to do what is necessary only now it is much more challenging and difficult.

That’s where we found ourselves today when it comes to the Iranian regime. We could have addressed their funding of terrorists for decades, but we didn’t. We could have addressed their nuclear weapon aspirations years ago, but we didn’t. The JCPOA merely delayed it, IF Iran would actually follow it, which they immediately did not. After almost an entire year of war betwen Israel and Iran’s proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis), we finally got to the real situation. War with Iran.

We’ve called them Iran’s proxies for years. We wouldn’t attack Iran. We had no sanctions, we put on crippling sanctions, we removed sanctions. We froze their money, gave them their money back, all for this evil regime to tyrannize the Iranian people, fund terrorists around the world, and do everything they can to develop a nuclear bomb. By all accounts, they are now very close.

Today, Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles into Israel. While it was expected, it was shocking. The entire country went on alert. I don’t know anybody in Israel who didn’t spend time in their safe room today. Some, more than others. Luckily the Israeli technology was able to shoot down most of the missiles. America and Jordan helped shoot some down. For the second time during the past year, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles at Israel with minimal/no effect.

Tel Aviv before the Iran bombing
Tel Aviv after the Iran bombing

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming Iranian missiles. Some, however, landed in central and southern Israel. Israel’s national rescue service said two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel. In the West Bank/Judea and Samaria, Palestinian Authority (PA) officials said a Palestinian man was killed by a missile that fell near Jericho, Once again, Iran’s attack was scary but not lethal.

Missiles over Israel
Missile impact in Tel Aviv
Iranian missiles being shot down over the Kotel
Missiles over Ashdod
Iranian missiles at the Ayalon Mall in Bnei Brak
Ballistic missiles over Israel

Israel’s response is expected to be very different. They may target Iran’s oil refineries. They may target Iran’s nuclear facilities. They may target the Ayatollah himself. None of us know but Israel knows. Israel has been planning for this eventuality for a long time. Unlike the United States and Europe, Israel has not had it’s head in the sand when it comes to Iran. After missing so much that led to October 7th, Israel has showed her brilliance with the beepers, walkie-talkies, and elimination of the leadership of Hamas. The question for the US and Europe is are they going to treat the Iranian regime as a legitimate government who can be taken at the word or are they going to realize that this regime will lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. The US and Europe are measuring time in minutes, hours, days, and weeks. Occasionally in years. Iran is measure time in decades and centuries. We are at a critical time in history after this attack and the question is, “Will the world take advantage of the opportunity or we will once again let the moment pass us by?”

The Abraham Accords have shown that peace and normalization is possible. I have seen the Israeli Zionist Youth Movement in an Arab village (there are 55 Arab villages with this program and over 20,000 Arab children in the movement). I have Palestinian friends that live in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Beit Ummar, near Hebron.

I have friends in Israel who live in communities like Haifa and Jaffa where Jews and Arabs live together in peace. Every day they show what can be the reality. I have been to the Hand in Hand schools, where Jews and Arabs go to school together. They learn Hebrew and Arabic. They study together, learn together, and grow up together. There are currently 6 of these schools in Israel with more than 2,000 students enrolled. Jaffa, Jerusalem, Kfar Saba, Wadi Ara, Haifa, an the Galilee all have these Hand in Hand schools.

We saw the dancing in the streets after Nasrallah was eliminated by the people of Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. They gave their thanks publicly to Israel for freeing them from an evil overseer.

The lie that eliminiting the terrorists will just create more terrorists has been exposed. Failing to eliminate terrorists create more terrorists. Continuing to fund UNRWA when there continues to be more and proof that their employees are members of Hamas and Hezbollah, that they are not delivering the food and aid to the people of Gaza, that they participated in the October 7 attacks and that they housed and helped hide hostages. As Israel frees Gaza from Hamas, Lebanon from Hezbollah, and potentially Iran from the Iranian regime, the opportunity for peace is large. What will we do?

It all comes back to where we are today. What are we going to do with Iran? Are we going to let them off the hook again? Are we going to miss the opportunity once again? Are we going to look back and regret how our leaders cowered in fear or be proud that they stood up to evil and made the world a much safer place? We will see what happens but we know that it starts and ends with Iran.