Tag: hersh-goldberg-polin

Bring the Jew haters to Israel – it’s the only solution

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I love the State of Israel and am preparing to go on my 25th trip there in just a few days. I have four (4) tentative trips scheduled for 2026. It’s a part of who I am. It’s in my DNA. If I had a nickel for every tim I have been asked if I live in Israel or plan to live in Israel, I could retire (and maybe in Israel!)

I fell in love with Israel as a child. My Great Grandma Rose was a Zionist. All four of my grandparents were Zionists and they all visited Israel when I was a child. I grew up listening to stories about how my grandparents listened to the UN vote on the partition plan on their transistor radio and how they celebrated when they knew it was going to pass and there would finally be a Jewish State and homeland after close to 2,000 years without one. My parents were Zionists. As a child, I learned how important Israel is to Judaism and it became integral to my Jewish identity.

I didn’t go to Israel until after I graduated college. My second trip was a decade later. In the last 25 years, I have now gone 23 times. Being in Israel is healing to my soul – it is the type of thing you can’t explain to somebody until they have been to Israel and once they have been to Israel, you don’t need to explain it.

It is why I find myself baffled at those who hate the State of Israel yet have never been there. They haven’t seen it first hand, yet they choose to speak as if they are experts. They haven’t met with people who live there – Jews, Arabs, Druze, Christians, and Bedouins – yet they speak for them. It is clear we have a major problem and an opportunity for a solution.

When challenged by the younger generation losing their connection to Judaism, leaders in the Jewish community banded together and created Taglit: Birthright Israel. Their belief was that bringing these young adults, ages 18-26, to Israel as a gift, as their version of the biblical birthright from last week’s Torah portion, would change their connection to Judaism and maybe to Israel as well. 800,000 participants later, the data shows this has been effective.

What can we learn from this? In today’s world, where many of the youth no longer have any connection to Israel and won’t participate on birthright trip and where so many Jews and people of other faiths only believe the lies they see in the media, getting people to Israel is more important than ever. Not just getting them to Israel. Having staffed more than 10 Taglit trips, I know what they see. I know who they speak to. That’s great for the audience they are targeting. For this group, we need to show them a different version of Israel. The version of Israel that is struggling with the government, that the war has impacted heavily, that is not just Jewish. There was a great opinion piece in e-Jewish Philanthropy on November 13, 2025, titled How to support Israel and still have your grandchildren speak to you. The author argues that we need to show these people the Israel that speaks to them. I agree wholeheartedly.

It is why in November 2019 I participated in the Encounter Immersive program during which I spent four days meeting with leaders of Palestinian civil society. I was public about my decision to participate and wrote in great detail in this blog about my experience. You can read those posts beginning here. While on this trip, I met with many different people who had many differerent viewpoints. Some reinforced every stereotype I had. Others gave me inspiration and hope. I slept in Ramallah, ate dinner at the home of a Palestinian Christian and explored Bethlehem, was hosted for dinner by the Arab daughter of the family that has had the keys to the church of the Holy Sepulchre since the 1100s, and had lunch with a member of Hamas and a member of the Al Aqsa Brigade. I have followed up and kept in touch with many of those who inspired me and never forgotten those filled with hate. I want other people to meet those who inspired me, to talk with them, to listen to them, and to understand both the challenges and the opportunities that they share.

Osama, one of those who inspired me
Sam Bahour, who’s brilliance and dedication to fighting against Israel was frightening
The streets of Ramallah
Ramallah
The Bank of Palestine in Ramallah

The more time I spend in Israel, the more people I meet who inspire me with the work they do to build the type of country and society that is inclusive of all. A country that values human rights and embraces differences. You won’t see this on the news or read it in the New York Times, but it happens every single day in Israel. For example, Dror Israel and their affiliated youth movement, HaNaor HaOved (NOAL), works in every Druze village in Israel and in 58 Arab villages with over 20,000 arab children, teaching them leadership and friendship in efforts to build a shared society between all those who live in Israel. I had the opportunity to visit two of the Arab villages, meet with the children and the leaders of the Arab branches of NOAL, and was incredibly inspired by their work.

With the children in NOAL in Ein Mahel – Sept 2024
With the leaders of NOAL in Ein Mahel – September 2024
On the beach of Jizr Al Zarqa with Arab leaders
The Village of Jizr Al Zarqa

It is amazing to see the work that they do each and every day. When the mayor of the Arab village showed up to talk to us about the youth movement, sharing that he enrolled his own daughters in the movement, preaching to us how important it was to future of his village, we were amazed. As I listened to my friend Shadi tell us about the challenges he faces being Arab, Israeli, and a Zionist and how the current situation challenges his own personal identity, I was captivated. Ever since he invited me to join him in January for a leadership retreat with the Arab branches, I have been trying to figure out how to get back to Israel in January to be there to both support him and experience it myself. To watch the Arab village leadership working with the youth leaders in the Arab villages and document what I experienced to share. When I met Hamami, the only women in the fisherman’s guild in the Arab village of Jzir Al Zarqa, who created a program called Surfing for Peace as a way to intervene with village youth who were skipping school and getting in trouble, I knew I was with a force of nature. As she told us why she partners with Dror Israel and NOAL, because they only care about helping the kids, it was inspiring to see Arabs and Jews working together for a beter future for all. These are the things you can only experience in person, in Israel, to understand the beauty of this country.

Video about the Arab branches of NOAL

In Jerusalem, home to the Kotel (Western Wall of the Temple), Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, there is another treasure that far too many people don’t know about and that the media will never cover. 100 year old Hapoel Jerusaelem Football Club (Hapoel) is not only a professional men’s and women’s soccer team playing at the highest levels, it’s also a nonprofit that is owned by its fan club. Their most famous leader of the fan club was Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l), murdered by Hamas after being taken as a hostage on October 7 from the Nova Music Festival. Hersh loved Hapoel because of their social programs, designed to improve Jerusalem for everybody. Imagine if the news covered their neighborhoods league, where Jews and Arabs (from East Jerusalem) practiced and played soccer against each other each week. Now imagine that they did it without referees. What would the world say? Bring the Jew haters to watch Jewish and Arab children practice and play soccer together, befriending each other, and competing without referees. They wouldn’t know what to do. They’d be lost. It’s why we need to bring them to Israel to see with their own eyes. They need to see the homeless women soccer program, the girls league, Spectrum soccer, the Unified Teams, where neurotypical members of the fan club play on the same team as those who are neurodiverse against a similarly composed team, all including Jews and Arabs. These are the things you have to see in person to believe. These are the things that the media won’t cover. The narrative breaks when you watch Jews and Arabs living together, playing together, and striving for a better future together.

Watch and learn more about Hapoel Jerusalem Football Club and their social programs.

So it is time. Time to bring the Jew and Israel haters to see for themselves what they rail against. Let them cry apartheid as they watch an inclusive society. Let them talk with Arab members of the Knesset, Arab leaders of civil society, Arab and Jewish children who play together and build a new community together. Let them watch Arab, Jewish, and Druze children learn leadership skills together. Let them see the truth that the media won’t cover and expose the lies they breathe in the light of the truth. Hasbara has not worked. It’s time to show them the real Israel, warts and all. A country founded on the belief that all inhabitants should be able to live there in peace, not one that wants one. Let them follow the experience and the lead of Kasim Hafeez, a British citizen of Pakistani Muslim heritage who grew up embracing a radical Islamist ideology, becaming active in the anti-Israel movement. He wanted to see the horrors of Israel first hand and in 2007 went to confirm all his beliefs about the evil of Israel. Instead, he experienced the true nature of the Jewish state, changing his perception of Israel to where he now is a Zionist. We can create more Kasim’s by letting them see Israel first hand. The time in now. We cannot afford to wait.

Hanging with Kasim, two Zionists, one who is a self-admitted former Jihadist and anti-semite.

We need to understand that the media isn’t going to be our friend, our ally, or our advocate. They will continue to tell lies. The only way to combat those lies is to make sure that those who criticize Israel based on the lies come to see the lies themselves – and thus discover the truth. Israel isn’t perfect, but what country is? It is a country striving to be better. It is a people who despite their leadership issues (we all have them), are fighting to build a country for every resident.

If we don’t figure out how to get them to Israel to see, feel, touch and taste the truth, I’m afraid we have lost. And I won’t lose. Let’s all do our part to help the critics without any facts experience the truth themselves. Get them to Israel.

To Life, To Life, L’Chaim. L’Chaim, L’Chaim, To Life.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Ever since October 7, 2023, I have been writing this blog very regularly. Over the past month, that has slowed to a crawl. I’m not sure if it is fatigue, frustration, anger, sadness, or some other emotion. I just know that writing has been very difficult as the Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah-Iran-Houthis war continues and the rise in antisemitism around the world and in the United States continues to grow.

I write when I am moved emotionally or intellectually. My emotions have been muted and the rise and acceptance of Jew hatred has made me wonder about the intelligence of the people in this country and the world. I wasn’t sure what to write or if I would find something that moved to me to write.

Then I read this post by Jon Polin, the father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The power of his words hit me deeply. The price of this war hit me deeply. Read Jon’s words and let them wash over you, sink into your soul, and see if you are not changed.

I respectfully ask that the Office of The Prime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו stop claiming that “his forceful application of combined military and diplomatic pressure has so far achieved the release of 205 hostages out of a total of 255.”

This insensitive claim whitewashes the lives of the 20% of the 205 who were taken into Gaza alive, survived a period of torture, and were then killed in captivity, including my son Hersh.

In August 2024, a negotiated deal was possible to release a number of hostages, including Hersh and at least three others of the five with whom he was held (together “the Beautiful Six”). Instead of completing this deal, and despite finding a live Israeli hostage in close proximity to where the Beautiful Six would be executed just two days later, a decision was made to continue with the risky military operation in Rafah. This decision led the Beautiful Six to be executed. Ironically, the deal that could have saved them was finally completed in January 2025 under pressure from President Trump.

Please do not take credit for “achieving the release” of Hersh. This is offensive to Hersh and to our family.

As I began to write this, deeply impacted by Jon’s words, the price paid by Rachel and Jon and so many others in Israel, dealing with my own feelings about not being able to go to Israel since September and plans to go in October, the graduation from college of my younger son and the career success of my older son, while so many in Israel have lost their children and loved ones because of the war and, I came across this piece in Daniel Gordis’s “Israel from the Inside” substack. He posted this piece written by Hagai Luber, an actor, playwright, theater director, acting teacher, and the founder and artistic director of the “Aspaklaria” theater and acting school. The translation is below. It captures my feelings beautifully.

Please, please,  
On the panels in the TV studios,  
On social media and in tweets,  
In the Knesset, in committees, and in speeches.  
And in the war cabinet, in the heat of discussions,  
Do not use the dead soldiers as proof of your righteousness!  
Do not say—"See? We must achieve a decisive victory."  
And do not say—"This is the proof that it is time to end the war."  
And do not prove with a victorious shout that if only there were more fighters, the disaster would have been avoided.  
And do not passionately criticize the methods of fighting and the security doctrine.  
And do not say—not today at least—  
That we must...  
That now...  
That the time has come...  
That we warned long ago...  
(And never, ever dare to say "They fell for politics and in vain")  
Just take a moment,  
Or a day,  
Or a year.  
And quietly look at these beautiful ones, in the picture.  
And think about the wondrous fact,  
That regardless of taking a stand or having an opinion,  
They were willing to die for you (f.) and for you (m.).  
And when they heard over the radio that soldiers hit explosives,  
The rescue forces rushed there to save lives,  
And took fire and continued, gritting their teeth, in evacuating them.  
And they didn’t check which sector they belonged to.  
And whether they are "secular" or "ultra-Orthodox,"  
And what their opinion is about the situation and what exactly they think.  
And this unconditional connection is the rock of our existence.  
And it is stronger and more steadfast than all our follies.  
And it is the secret of our strength.  
And it is the light and the good in our lives.  
We will grieve together.  
We will be comforted together.  
And we will rise together.

Haggai Lober

Maybe this hit me so hard today because I watched a former student who became a friend, bury his wife, another former student who became a friend, in Israel today. As I watched the funeral, I was struck by a number of things. First, her desire to be buried in Israel. How much that meant to her. Secondly, how as people talked about her, I could see her face, hear her voice, her laughter, and her passion for life. Third, how grateful I was that I got to see her last fall when I was in Atlanta and that I got to give her a big hug then. I only wished I’d spent more time with her that day.

That’s who we are as Jews. We love life. We cherish life. Our toast, L’Chaim, is literally saying “To Life”. Saving a life is as if we saved an entire world. We celebrate life throughout our lives. Even when somebody dies, we use shiva, the 7 day mourning period after burial, as a way to help the mourners deal with living their lives after losing their loved one. We tell stories about the person who died to celebrate their life and bring comfort to the lives of their loved ones. Everything is about life.

Beginning on October 7th, we have lived in an almost 2 year period of death. Death on October 7th. Death of hostages. Rise of antisemitism impacting our ability to live life. It only struck me today how un-Jewish this time period has been. I was reminded of this by words spoken by the daughter of my friend Yael (z’l) as she eulogized her mother. She had asked Yael (z’l) if she regretted anything in her life and she told her no. When pressed, Yael (z’l) told her daughter that she married a man she loved with all her heart, had parents who loved her, had 2 beautiful children that she loved more than anything, and had a fulfilling career. What was there to regret.

As I type and read those words, I can hear Yael’s voice saying them. Even in death, Yael (z’l) reminded her children, her family, and me the importance of living life. Jon Polin reminded us about how important living life is and just how powerful the loss of life is, through his son Hersh (z’l). Haggai Lober teaches us through his essay how important life is by the way we do whatever we can to save lives and how despite the incredible value of life, we are willing to risk our life to save others.

October 7th and the war that has followed has cost us too many lives to not honor their memories by living ours. Living them Jewishly, whatever that means to each of us. I have my Nova tattoo, my we will dance again tattoo, and my tattoo of the artwork by Moshe Shapira connecting released hostage Emily Damari’s hand with the priestly blessings. Moshe’s son Aner was murdered on October 7th as he repeatedly threw grenades out of the bomb shelter, trying to save others, until there was one he couldn’t get to in time and this tattoo reminds me of Aner, Emily, and Moshe. I wear my Star of David with Israel as the center of it proudly every day, outside my shirt. I got my Florida Stands with Israel license plate and display it proudly on my car.

Florida Stands With Israel License Plate
The art of Moshe Shapira plus We will dance again tattoo
Nova Tattoo
My special Magen David

I’m not the most religious person but I go to minyan when asked. I learn Jewishly every week through two different teachers and with a Rabbi friend when possible. I am proudly and outwardly Jewish. I refuse to hide it. I often think of my parents, who were outwardly proudly Jewish, my grandparents, who were outwardly proudly Jewish, and my Great-grandmother Rose, the only of my Great-grandparents that I knew, who was also outwardly proudly Jewish. I owe it to them and to my children to be proud of who I am, of my history, of my heritage, of my culture.

In memory of all those murdered on October 7th, who have died protecting Israel and the Jewish people, who were murdered by Hamas as hostages, I have one thing to say.

Words and images matter

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Many of us were pleasantly shocked when President Donald Trump posted this statement on Monday. The power behind it was shocking. I heard from many people that this is what they expected when they voted for Trump. I heard from others that they hate it when they agree with something Trump said. The most common theme I have heard is, “what if President Biden had said this on October 8th?” It’s something many of us will wonder about and we will never know because he didn’t. He was supportive of Israel, visited Israel, and has ensure Israel has the weapons they need despite lots of controversy and delays with some weapons. Despite the good President Biden has done for Israel since October 7th, he has never come out this strongly about the hostages and demanding their release. Now that we know that Omer Neutra was actually murdered on October 7th and Hamas stole his body and took it into Gaza, there remain 6 American hostages alive plus Omer’s body in Gaza. The words that we use matter. Who says them matter. It is why we need to advocate to our leaders so that they speak out. So that they get educated. It is why we fight those who use words to delegitimize and lie.

My favorite line in President Trump’s post is the end where he states, “RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW”. It’s different than “Bring them home now” and puts the responsibility where it belongs – on Hamas to release them and on Iran to force Hamas to release them. Words matter.

A perfect example of this was when President Biden went to a bookstore in Nantucket and purchased The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine, written by the Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi, an anti-Israel academic who recently retired from Columbia University. The author describes it as “a history of settler colonialism and resistance from 1917 to 2017.” Once again, attempts to spread the lies that Israel is a colonial state and that despite rejecting multiple oppotunities for peace and state of their own over the past 76 years, the Palestinians are ‘resisting’. There are many options to learn about the history of the region. There are many academic books that provide unbiased and factual information. The fact that President Biden chose this book is a problem. The fact that he publicly walked out with it for the media to see is yet another problem. Actions make statements. Intentional or not, President Biden’s actions made a statement providing support for the lies about Israel.

I don’t know why I am shocked or surprised at the antisemitism that happens throughout the world. The violence no longer shocks or suprises me, it simply disgusts and saddens me. What does suprise and shock me is when Jewish academics blatently lie and spread falsehoods. This is where truth is supposed to be sought. This is where it is ok to debate issues however facts are facts. It is ok to debate opinions and interpretations but you don’t get to create your own facts.

Except at Yale University where the Center for Jewish Studies completely changes the Talmud from being Jewish to being Palestinian. They have completely removed Judaism and Jews from the Talmud, making them Palestinians instead. I find it beyond offensive. It is another reminder about how important it is to do research on Universities before sending your child there for an education. My oldest already has his master’s degree and my youngest graduates college in May. I would never send them to Yale or any of the schools that have shown themselves to be antisemitic. Columbia? No thank you. Penn? Not a chance. Harvard? Are you crazy?

When we see things like this, it’s critical to not just call them out but also to make sure the Department of Education knows about it. All Universities receive federal funding and are held to standards. Title VI violations have been reported and lawsuits filed. It’s critical we hold these Universities, their Presidents and their faculty accountable for their actions and their inactions. If we allow them to get away with it then we are just as responsible as they are.

When our leaders speak up, we see what happens. On Monday night, the UJA-Federation of NY held their Wall Street dinner. This year it raised $55 million dollars, an all time record. The focus of the diner was on the hostages and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) spoke. In her keynote address, she urged them to use their voice and power to make a difference, stating, “I know that there are many in this room that have the ability to make this happen. It might be that the only reason you do it is because it is righteous, it is holy. It is the singular most godly act you will ever do in your life to help these innocent and beloved souls who are languishing in Gaza.”

At the event, UJA-Federation Board Chair Marc Rowan, who last year made headlines for stopping his significant donations to his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, in response to its handling of campus antisemitism went even further, calling on these Wall Street leaders to use the power of their organizations’ voices and their hiring power to fight antisemitism. “It is our responsibility, it’s our job, it’s our challenge, to secure the future of the Jews and the future of Israel. Fundamentally, we need to pivot,” he said. “The Wall Street community is a very fortunate community. Many of you in this room are leaders. Raise your voices, charitable boards, school boards, boards of civic organizations. Remind those around you that antisemitism will not be tolerated.”

The more our leaders speak out, the more power we have. The more we can fight antisemitism and protect Jews. The family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) has made sure that his memory is a powerful tool for remembering the hostages and doing everything they can to get them freed. Visuals matter. Words matter. Actions matter.

What are you going to say? What are you going to do? How are you going to make sure you are seen? The days of being silent and hidden are long gone.

Thoughts and observations

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

There is often a debate about whether being Jewish is a religion or a people. My friend, Avraham Infeld, has publicly spoken about this. He says, “We are a family, a people, with a common religion.” It’s the best description I have heard.

Rabbi Harold Kushner (z’l) has written about this as well. In his book, To Life, he asks, “What do you have to believe to be Jewish?”. The answer, is nothing. You don’t have to believe in God. You don’t have to believe in the Torah. In fact, you don’t have to do anything to be Jewish. You are Jewish if your mother is Jewish. That’s it. Many people in today’s world will say you are Jewish if either parent is Jewish. That is the proof that we are a people, a family, a mishpacha, that share a common religion.

This gets proven all the time with Jewish geography. In the Jewish world, it isn’t the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Usually it is 2-3 degrees of connection. Hersh Goldberg-Polin (z’l) is a great example of this. I didn’t know him or his family. Yet I have friends who knew him at Camp Ramah Darom. 2 degrees of separation. The picture below is from a fraternity brother of mine who’s son was friends with Hersh. Another 2 degrees of separation.

Hersh as a kid with friends including my fraternity brother’s son

You may have seen the memes and comments about family in Israel.

I told someone I was traveling to Israel.

He asked, “do you have family there?”

“Yes I do. 8 million brothers and sisters.”

That’s who we are. Brothers and sisters. Family. Mishpacha.

As I think about family, I think about the hostages. There remain 101 of them in captivity and we don’t know how many of them are still alive. At Passover Seder, I set up chairs and put pictures of the Bibas family on the chairs so they could be at our Seder in spirit. After Seder, I couldn’t take them off the chairs so they remained there for a few months.

Mia Schem inspired me with her words, “We will dance again” and I got the same tattoo she did on my forearm. It inspires me to work hard every day to build a better future. To never forget the hostages that remain or the horrific violence that occurred on October 7th, I’ll never forget the look on Rami Davidian’s face as he talked about the morning of October 8th, when he went back to the Nova site to help clean up and provide dignity to those murdered. He looked at the trees right near us as he told us of the women tied to them that he had to cut down, cover them, give them some final dignity, and say the Shema for them. Unsaid was the condition of their bodies and the obvious rapes that had occurred. The tears in his eyes said more than his words ever could.

When Rachel Goldberg-Polin described the condition of her son Hersh’s (z’l) body, I cringed. Not just at the weight loss, the loss of part of his arm, and the obvious torture he had endured, but also how he was murdered. These aren’t the acts of freedom fighters or resistance. These are the acts of barbarians. As I listened to John Spencer, the pre-eminent expert on Urban warfare, talk about what he saw and how it doesn’t compare to any other barbarism he has seen throughout his career in studying warfare, it really hit home. People don’t want to believe other people can be this inhuman. People don’t want to believe this type of evil exists So they make excuses. They create lies to protect themselves from seeing that the evil exists.

The quote from Mia Schem below is powerful. “Each with her own horrific abduction story.” Yet the women’s rights groups couldn’t speak out. The ‘believe all women’ organizations denied that sexual violence occurred. The celebrities who spoke out in defense of every other group that faced sexual violence stayed silent. There was no ‘bring back our girls’ from Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, Ellen DeGeneres, Hillary Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Alicia Keys, Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba, Khloé Kardashian, Sophia Bush, or Amy Poehler, who all spoke out when 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria were kidnapped by the Islamist militia group Boko Haram in 2014. Jewish women didn’t count.

Talking about Jewish women, my friend Yocheved Ruttenberg recently was announced as the Z3 Bridge Builder award winner. What did she do that won her the award? On October 8th, with her older brother serving in the IDF as a lone soldier, she realized that she could not stay in the United States in her Dallas construction sales position. This then 23 year old spent a week raising $17,000 to buy things for her brothers unit, booked a ticket to Israel, and began her journey. A month into her 2 week trip to Israel, she met another young woman and together they created the Sword of Iron Facebook group, creating a place for those wanting to come to Israel and volunteer to meet each other, learn where they could volunteer, and build a community. Today, almost a year later, the group has nearly 40,000 members. Yocheved is a star. The number of people excited to see her in Israel, who want to take a selfie, who thank her for creating this community which enables them to make a difference, is immense. People come back time after time to volunteer, using the Sword of Iron group to figure out where to stay that is affordable, where to volunteer, who else is going to be there, and how to connect to their community. Thanks to Yocheved, there is no ‘lone volunteer’. Everybody, Jewish or not, is part of a community.

Yocheved was 23 when she started Swords of Iron. She turned her passion into something that has changed the lives of more than the 40,000 members of the Facebook group. Every time somebody comes to Israel and volunteers, she is changing not only their lives but the lives of those who benefit from the volunteer work. She is changing the lives of the volunteers’ friends wherever they live, who hear that their friends are coming to Israel to volunteer, see the pictures, and hear from them upon their return.

If Yocheved can do it, what is your excuse for not following your heart and your dream to change the world? Yocheved isn’t done. There is far more she is planning. Let her be your inspiration to do something.

Doing something is what Dror Israel (Dror) is all about. After October 7th, they were first responders when it comes to the needs of children and families. They created pop-up schools at the Dead Sea for families that had been displaced. They created schools all over the country as people were displaced from the south and the north. They had afterschool programs, youth groups, and brought in counselors to help those dealing with stress and PTSD.

In September I had the opportunity to visit Dror while in Israel. Seeing their work in person was powerful. Hearing the impact directly from the children in school was incredible. Seeing the inpact of the youth movement in an Arab village was inspiring. Watching both the excitement learning and the gratitude the students had for Dror and their educators was impactful. In the middle of an ongoing war that is over a year long, with rockets being launched at them daily and sirens going off multiple times a day, the resilience of the children and the Dror educators was inspiring.

As the war continues into its second year, Dror educators continue to innovate. In order to help children deal with the stress and challenges just being children, they began restorative 3 day trips for them to Mitzpe Ramon where they can act like children without the rockets and sirens. They can play outside, sleep without worrying about having to go to the safe room in the middle of the night, and experience joy. As Dror began these trips, they quickly learned that the entire family had a need to participate. So as Dror does, they pivoted and innovated even more. Last week, 100 children and parents from the Nitzanim elementary school in Carmiel embarked on a three-day retreat in Mitzpe Ramon. “It was such great fun, far from the noise of the war. We had a chance to connect with other families from the school and our neighborhood—just what we all needed,” said Irena, mother of Michael and Vasily, both students at the school.

Israel is known as the start up nation but it is more than just technology. Israel innovates in so many different ways including education and how they value human life. This is seen through the work of Dror Israel, who is dedicated to supporting these children until they can safely return to their homes and to helping them rebuild their communities and restore a sense of trust, resilience, and hope. Imagine if we had that in the United States.

Families from Carmiel during the 3 day restorative trip to Mitzpe Ramon

Earlier I wrote about how we are a family with a common religion. The great thing about being a family is that we have traditions. Many of them are based on our common religion such as the Passover Seder, shaking the lulov and etrog on Sukkot, and putting on tefillin. One of my favorites is something that I just learned and began this summer.

The prayer Acheinu is not an ancient one. It tracks back to the 9th century, 800 years after the destruction of the second Temple. The song “Acheinu” however, was only written in 1990. I sing it every day for the hostages. It’s short, simple, and easy to learn. It’s something tangible that I can do while I lie in bed, am in the shower, or sitting at my desk. I have the words on my phone and I get them in an email every day as well. As Jews, we have these type of regular things to remind us. As I said before, Tefillin is one (and I must admit that while I occassionaly put them on, I don’t do it regularly). Tefillin takes a few minutes and is a physical reminder. Singing Acheinu is a spiritual reminder that takes a minute or two with practice.

As Jews, we can find what are the things that resonate for us. What keeps us grounded? What connects us to God? What do we do to stay grounded, connected to God, connected to the world and to humanity. I pray and meditate every morning and have for more than three decades. For the past 5 months, I also sing Acheinu. It’s the one thing that I do daily that I look forward to NOT doing any longer. When the hostages are released, the need for me to sing Acheinu will be removed. Every day when I sing it, it has meaning. And every day that I sing it, I hope it is the last day that I will have to do so.

It’s 395 days today. 395 days of captivity. 395 days of terror and abuse. 395 days that American hostages have been ignored by our government. 395 days that the world has tried to excuse their being kidnapped and abused. We will not forget. We will not rest until they are returned. We will not stop until Hamas and Hezbollah are removed from power, until the threat that is Iran is no longer a threat.

We don’t live in interesting times, we live in dark times.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Many things feel differently this year.  October 7th changed everything.  As a Jew, it was a personal Kristallnacht, Pearl Harbor Day, 9/11.  In my life I’ve had a number of days that I thought were like this.  Three Mile Island and the possible meltdown (I lived 10 miles away in Harrisburg, PA at the time).  The day that Ronald Reagan was shot (I watched the news on a small black and white TV at the Harrisburg JCC outside the locker rooms).  September 11th.  None of them were close.

As we approached Passover this year, the term freedom meant something entirely different.  Hostages remain in Gaza.  How many are alive, we do not know.  I have 3 friends that each have a relative that remain a hostage and 3 other friends that have relatives that were hostages that have been released.  For the families where the hostages were released, there is freedom.  For those still kept as hostages and their families, there is no freedom.  For those of us who are a part of the global Jewish community, we have no freedom as long as the hostages remain in Gaza, kept by Hamas.  As we told the story of exodus from Mitzrayim, the dark place often translated as Egypt, I wondered what the story of the exodus of the hostages will be.  When will we be able to tell it? 

I thought of the 1972 Olympics in Munich when the 11 Israeli athletes were murdered.  Israel responded against Black September with Operation Wrath of God to hold those involved accountable.  When the Air France plane was hijacked and taken to Entebbe Airport in Uganda, those passengers not deemed to be Jewish or Israeli were released and those who were thought to be Jewish or Israeli kept, Israel responded with a classic and mythical raid to free them.  The hostages were safe and only one IDF solider, Yoni Netanyahu (Bibi’s older brother) was killed.  Bold action to keep Israelis and Jews safe.

Success – the raid on Entebbe

The world understood vicious terrorism and how to counteract it.  When terrorism began to hit Europe and then the United States on 9/11, I mistakenly thought that both Europe and the US would really understand the impact and how important it is to eliminate evil.  I was hopeful that this would lead to a worldwide effort to eliminate terrorists and make the world a safer place for all.  Boy was I naïve.  The conspiracy theorists began blaming Israel for the attacks on 9/11.  Still, it was a fringe group, and I maintained my hope.  Boy, was I mistaken.

Charlottesville and George Floyd had to show America and the world the danger of hate.  How to get off the path we somehow got on that encouraged hate.  The mainstream middle of the road people had to rise up against the extremism on the right and the left to demand common sense return.  I wanted to believe that the desire to live in a world without extremism existed and there was a large mass of people who would be willing to stand up and speak out.  People would join together because they agreed on far more than they disagreed.  Friendship would win out and people would talk with their friends because relationships matter.  Instead, friendships ended.  People separated even more. 

Covid happened.  Open states vs. closed states.  Vaccines vs. no-vaccines.  At a time when I wondered if we could be divided any more, I learned that yes, we can.  Once again, the antisemites began the ‘Covid was created by the Jews’ campaign.  I saw it firsthand when they protested at the JCC.  When they protested at a local Chabad.  When they wore Nazi uniforms at Disney and by the entrance to the University of Central Florida.  When they hung banners from the overpasses on I-4.  This division enabled the antisemites to be more vocal, bolder, and more visible.

The attack by Hamas on October 7th was traumatizing to most Jews.  In the words of Ambassador Michael Oren, the covenant created between the State of Israel and the Jewish people in 1948 was violated.  Both “Never Again” and “The IDF will always be there” were not true.  Hamas video recorded their atrocities and posted them online.  Surely the world would see terrorism for what it was.  Surely the world would see evil and respond. 

Respond they did.  But not as I expected nor as I hoped.  The blaming of Israel began immediately.  The lies and untruths began almost immediately.  “It was because of the occupation.”  Except Gaza hasn’t been occupied since 2005.  “It was because of the blockade.”  The blockade, by Israel AND EGYPT is to attempt to stop the flow of rockets and explosives and terrorists into Gaza.  Food and medical supplies were plentiful.  When Israel responded with targeted attacks, it became “genocide” even though the number of civilians killed AS REPORTED BY HAMAS was well below the UN and Red Cross’s 9-1 ratio.  Lies, repeated over and over again, become accepted as truth and we began to fight against them. 

Hamas has reduced the number to 22,000. Another 4,000 statistically died of natural causes. The ratio is below 1:1 now.

Recently we have seen horrific actions on the campus of Columbia University.  The University President, Minouche Shafik, had just testified in front of Congress.  While she was better than the prior University Presidents who testified before Congress, she wasn’t good.  When the protests began on campus, she showed no leadership.  She eventually called in the NYPD to enforce their rules but then wouldn’t let them back on campus.  An Israeli professor had his access to campus revoked.  Jewish students were advised by a campus Rabbi to go home.  Jewish students are now virtual while the antisemites get to go to class in person.  It is a hot mess of antisemitism.  Luckily some of our Representatives and Senators are calling it out and calling for the removal of their Federal funding.  We are at a tenuous time.  If campuses are not held accountable for their failure to protect Jewish students, we will continue to mirror 1930’s Germany.  At the University of Minnesota, they took down the antisemitic protests within 5 hours!  It can be done.   Our voices must be amplified.  We must speak up loudly against those who claim this is free speech.  Even free speech has limitations and advocating and calling for the murder of Jewish students and Jews in general is not allowed nor should it be acceptable.  It certainly would not be acceptable for any other group.  Alumni are pulling donations.  It’s not enough.  We need to call our Representatives and Senators and demand that Federal funding be withheld as long as they won’t ensure the safety of Jewish students and faculty.  You can’t bar a Jewish professor while inviting a Hamas terrorist onto campus the same day.  Columbia did that.  They need to be held accountable.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued this statement today – that’s how bad it has gotten.  The Israeli Prime Minister, in the middle of a war on multiple fronts, is taking time to address the Jew hatred in the US and on our college campuses.  Civilized people should be embarrassed. 

Today, Hamas released a video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American taken hostage by Hamas over 200 days ago.  An American who is being left to languish by our government.  He isn’t the only American hostage.   Edan Alexander, Itai Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra,  and Keith Siegel are the others.  We cannot forget their names.  We cannot forget that they are kept in deplorable conditions by terrorists along with the other hostages kidnapped by Hamas.  I hope this video is actually recent.  His reference to ‘the holiday’ concerns me as he doesn’t say Pesach, indicating it could have been filmed anytime.  He says 200 days, but they could have told him that a long time ago.  Being kept underground in awful conditions means it is easy to lose track of time.  My heart breaks for his family.  For the families of all the hostages.    Watch if you want – it’s not easy – and pray for his safety and the safe return of all the hostages.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin before being taken hostage and in the video released today.

Passover is a holiday about freedom.  But more than just freedom.  It’s about action.  Moses didn’t have to kill the Egyptian overseer that was beating a Jew.  He didn’t have to return to Egypt to free the Jews.  Nachshon didn’t have to be the one to unwaveringly walk into the Red Sea, believing in God, showing the faith in God that resulted in the splitting of the sea.  At Mount Sinai, the Jews didn’t have to create the Golden Calf, but they did, and suffered the consequences.  Each year, we tell the story of redemption from slavery, of our exodus from Egypt, or as Mitzrayim mean, from darkness.  We are in a time of darkness now.  We have hostages being held brutally by Hamas in tunnels, receiving no medical care, minimal food, no sunlight.  Who knows what brutality the women hostages are facing – it’s almost too much to even imagine.  The antisemitism Jewish students are facing on many campuses is horrific.  The lack of leadership is atrocious. 

In the Passover Seder we talk about the lessons some of the great Rabbis taught us.  It’s important to think of the lessons we are learning now that our Rabbis will record and will be shared hundreds of years in the future.  We included empty seats at our Seder table for the hostages.  We put up pictures of the Bibas family.  They are a family of 4 with 2 boys.  We are a family of 4 with 2 boys.  My children are about the same age difference as the Bibas boys (3 years apart).  They couldn’t have a Seder in the tunnels so symbolically had them at our Seder.  We talked about the BIbas family.  The age of the children.  How they were all taken together.  How we hoped they were still alive but were afraid they were not.  We are not the timid Jews of the past.  We are not willing to go to the gas chambers willingly.  We will not allow ourselves to be attacked – in Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Iran or in the United States on college campuses or in Europe.  We will not stay quiet and hope it goes away.  These are lessons we learned over the past 75 years that won’t go away.  We finish the Seder by saying “L’shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim – Next year in Jerusalem.”  For me it’s next month in Jerusalem.  I’ve need to be in Israel since October 7th and next month will be able to return.  Visiting Israel often is also a lesson we have learned in the past 75 years and if you haven’t been, I urge you to go.  And if you have been but haven’t been back recently, I urge you to return. 

Yarden and Ariel Bibas – we put them on one chair because Ariel would sit on Yarden’s lap for comfort
Shiri and Kfir Bibas – they had one chair as well as I can’t imagine Shiri would not hold him.

I used to say that these were ‘interesting times’ and we were dealing with the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”.  I no longer think that.  We live in dark times.  We live in Mitzrayim.  We have members of the US House of Representatives spreading lies about Israel and the IDF.  We have college campuses not safe for Jews and University Presidents who won’t keep them safe.  A Jewish woman was raped in France this week to ‘Free Palestine’ – how raping a Jewish woman frees Palestine is beyond me.  Jews are being assaulted in Europe and the United States just for being Jewish.  A Jewish man in the UK was threatened with arrest because he looked Jewish and that might incite those supporting Hamas. 

In this dark time, we need to fight for the light.  We need to be Warriors of Light (watch for more about this in the future).  We need to fight for what is good and righteous.  We need to fight evil no matter the cost.  I’m not saying it is easy because it isn’t.  And I am not saying there is no price to be paid for it because there is.  The alternative is death.  The alternative is a return to the gas chambers, to the final solution.  The alternative is unacceptable.  So in these dark times, let me leave you with a little light.  At the University of Florida, where I was the Hillel Director for 15 years, there were more than 1,000 students who attended a Passover Seder held by Chabad in the O’Connell Center (the basketball arena).  The University President, Ben Sasse, was in attendance.  Look at these pictures and smile because campuses don’t have to be the way Columbia is.  University Presidents can lead and protect Jewish students.  We have the proof it can be done, so now let’s go do it. (Pictures from the Gainesville Sun).

UF President Ben Sasse, right, takes a selfie with a student during the annual Passover Seder at The O’Connell Center on Monday night in Gainesville. The event was organized and sponsored by the Chabad UF Jewish Student Center. The Passover Seder was the largest in North America.
UF President Ben Sasse wasn’t there for a photo op. He stayed for the Seder at The O’Connell Center on Monday night in Gainesville.
The crowd at Passover Seder at UF – more than 1,000 students gathering together.
Students call their families and take pictures during the annual Seder at The O’Connell Center in Gainesville.
My friend, Rabbi Berl Goldman speaking during the Seder.
My friend, Chabad Rabbi Berl Goldman and UF President Ben Sasse speaking to the more than 1,000 students at Seder this year.
Rabbi Berl Goldman chants “Its great to be a Jewish Florida Gator” during the Seder. If only other Universities could say the same thing about being Jewish there.
Jewish students at UF lighting candles for Pesach – openly being Jewish is ok at University of Florida.
Students drinking one of the 4 cups of wine at Seder.
Breaking the mazoh for the Afikomen
Seder plate at UF Seder