Today (Friday) was a somewhat lighter day.
I woke up to a beautiful sight from my 11th floor of Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv. Nothing can compare to the Mediterranean Sea.
We started with a powerful meeting with Dr. Kochav Elkayam-Levy, a remarkable woman and expert in international law, human rights, and feminist theory. She shared her insights on the unique struggles women face during times of emergency. Her words were unflinchingly honest as she described her personal experiences with the apathy of the UN toward the suffering of Jewish and Israeli women and children. It was deeply painful to hear how the women who were kidnapped, raped, and murdered with unimaginable cruelty on October 7th are being overlooked by international organizations that are supposed to protect every woman and child, regardless of nationality or race.
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to volunteer with Revital’s Cha”mal, another inspiring woman who has been working tirelessly to bring comfort to IDF soldiers. We packed care packages with candy and sunflower seeds—simple but cherished snacks for many Israelis. We left with a sense of deep gratitude, but also with a strong desire to do more for our soldiers.
In the evening, we celebrated Shabbat at Kehilat Ofir in Givatayim, a community named after Ofir Libstein, who tragically lost his life on October 7th while serving as head of the Sha’ar Ha’Negev Regional Council. Rabbi Gilad Kariv, our beloved colleague and Knesset member, led a vibrant Shabbat service, filled with music, folk dancing, and the laughter of children. It was a much-needed moment of peace and joy, especially after all that we witnessed yesterday in Southern Israel.
My takeaway from today is that while we must continue to mourn and grieve, it’s also vital to balance that grief with the determination to live fully, to pray, and to embrace the community around us. We are choosing to rise from the shadows of sorrow and live lives of purpose.
Never again is not a distant ideal—it’s a commitment we live out now. Am Yisrael Chai.