United for Israel

Shabbat is coming here soon in Jerusalem, giving space to reflect on a week that has rocked Israel - and the entire Jewish world - to our core. And united us as never before.

Earlier in the week, the streets of Jerusalem were eerily empty, with shops and restaurants mostly closed. Now businesses are opening back up, the initial shock replaced by a sense of communal shiva. In this tiny country, everyone has a close connection to one of the murdered, wounded, or kidnapped. Many people have been attending multiple funerals a day. And everyone has a child, relative, or friend currently risking their lives on the front lines.

This is not just a national tragedy, it's a deeply personal one.

Patriotism is on full display: Israelis lining up, waiting for hours to donate blood. Extraordinary stories of people welcoming total strangers into their homes, providing shelter and comfort to those whose own homes have been destroyed or who have been forced to relocate. The Jerusalem Campus for the Arts, opened by UJA less than a year ago, transformed into a command center, volunteers gathering to help in any way they can.

The pervasive mood is one of intense grief, disbelief, anger - and a fierce determination to never find ourselves here again.

Political tensions that so bitterly divided the country for months haven't gone away, but for now, they've been put aside.

Here in New York, hours after we learned of the attacks, and for the first time in UJA history, we convened our Executive Committee on Shabbat. Our first step was to authorize an initial allocation of $10 million from our endowment to support urgent needs.

We also quickly opened an Israel Emergency Fund, and the outpouring of support has been extraordinary and heartwarming - to date, raising over $60 million.

UJA's allocations teams in both Israel and New York have been working literally around the clock with partners on the ground to identify areas of greatest need. As of today, we've provided nearly $20 million to 53 trusted partners and grantees, including the Jewish Agency Victims of Terror Fund, hospitals, first responders, trauma relief organizations, community networks in the south caring for thousands who've been displaced and are grieving, volunteer mobilization efforts, and support for soldiers. A full listing can be found here.

On Tuesday afternoon, with little time to plan, we organized and funded a rally with JCRC-NY at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations. Tens of thousands of people showed up in a sea of blue and white, Jews of every denomination, those for judicial reform, those against it. A week ago, they wouldn't be in a room together. This week, they stood together as one, joined by Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, and New York's governor, mayor and attorney general - all unequivocal and strong in their support for Israel.

I met on Tuesday morning in Jerusalem with Israel's President Isaac Herzog. He said that the North American Jewish community - and, specifically, UJA-Federation of New York - had a critical role to play in this moment, with two principal responsibilities: First, to give as generously as we possibly can. We don't know how long the war will last, but we do know that the immediate, intermediate, and long-term needs are massive. Our second, equally important responsibility, the president said, is to do all within our power to build - and sustain - political support in the United States for Israel's right to defend its borders and to keep its citizens safe. And to forcefully push back against any false claims of moral equivalence.

Tomorrow in our synagogues, we start the Torah cycle anew, reading the parsha of Bereishet - the beginning. Make no mistake: This moment represents a fundamentally new chapter for Israel and all of world Jewry. Our children and grandchildren will judge whether we proved equal to the task.

Shabbat shalom and Am Yisrael Chai

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