6 Tevet 5784
December 18, 2023
Dear K.I.N.S. Family
Since Octiber 7th, I have been fortunate to travel to Israel on two missions, and today I arrived for my third, wearing my hat as the dean of Ida Crown Jewish Academy, and escorted the senior class for the first of the four week volunteer mission.
Unlike my previous missions, this one will be significnatly different, not only because I am accompanying 17 and 18-year olds, but also because my goal is not to bear witness, but to volunteer.
Because of that these updates will be different as well, and based on the daily updates I send to the parents and students of Ida Crown. Nevertheless, I hope you will find them meaningful.
Over the years, I have led many groups of high school students to Europe and Israel, and in many respects, this trip is no different; there were the same challenges with tickets and security, with seats on the plane and beds on the kibbutz where we are stayting.
Yet, from the moment we arrived, there were small, subtle differences. It's quieter walking through Ben Gurion Airport, and the only planes parked at the gates are Israel - El Al or Arkia. And walking from the plane to passport control there are two sets of signs - those which direct people to a "mechav mugan," a secure area in in case of air raid sirens, and the posters of the hostages that line the final walkway down to the immigration agents.
We drove directly from the airport to the Kotel, and again, there were small differences, the signs at the Kotel directing us to the "merchav mugan," the inner areas for prayer that now double as shelters, and a glorious tekes hashba'a (swearing-in ceremony for soldiers) where a noticed a preponderance of soldiers who were clearly not observant who were davening and taking their pictures at the Kotel.
It's the first time I've seen soldiers spend so much time at the Kotel. There was even a group who surrounded a Chasid leading them in reciting/shouting pesukim that foretell our ultimate victory over our enemies.
After the Kotel, we made our way to the Kibbutz, where the first reminders to our students were about their safety and security. One of the tour coordinators, Torah MiTzion alum and son of an ICJA alum, Eitan Grossman, began by showing them where the secure room was located, and later, we did an air raid drill practicing going from our rooms to the shelter in ninety seconds or less.
Just to put that in context, before we came to Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, the kibbutz had been hosting residents of the evacuated community of Shlomit, which is situated less than a kilometer from Egypt and about five kilometers from Gaza. When they heard an air raid siren, they had less than ten seconds to seek shelter, so when they came to Kfar Etzion, ninety seconds was a relief!
While I'm not sure how much our seniors feel these small things or not. But I do know that tomorrow, as we work in the fields of Nechusha pruning trees, they will begin to appreciate some of the smaller challenges of this war - that more than 200,000 workers are now serving in the army.
Unlike my other recent visits, this is not a trip for them to see the destruction of October 7th. Instead, this is a trip for them to touch the hearts and lives of so many, from the flight attendants on our flight who were overwhelmed that these young people were coming to help to passport agents who fast-tracked our entry because of what we're doing, and to every Israeli I speak with, those who are in positions of power and those who are risking their lives for the State.
I am very proud of what we are doing on this mission, and as I have said on numerous occasions, I believe this is the opportunity of a lifetime that will uplift and inspire our students, just as other periods of crisis, shaped my generation.
One final thought: in this week's parsha, Yosef, after having revealed himself to his brothers, sent wagons back to Canaan to transport his father Yaakov to Egypt. When Yaakov saw these wagons, he knew that Yosef was still alive, and he believed his sons that he was the Viceroy of Egypt.
The Baalei HaTosafot explain that these wagons alluded to the six wagons used to transport the Mishkan in the desert. But why would that allusion comfort Yaakov and lead him to believe that his long-lost son Yosef was still alive?
One answer is because the six wagons served the twelve tribes. This means that every two tribes had to work together and join together in creating the Jewish future. That very sense of cooperation is so evident in Israel and throughout the Jewish world.
Just a few months ago, there were tremendous divisions that were the source of protests and strife; today, everyone wants to work together for Israel and to gain the release of the hostages.
The seniors who have joined me in Israel will be very fortunate to experience this first-hand as they help farmers, create programs for young evacuees, and volunteer in various settings. And our students back home will, please G-d have opportunities to make a difference as well.
My hope and prayer is that together, we, too, will join in creating a glorious Jewish future.
B'vracha,
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky
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