By Judy Menikoff, World ORT Vice-Chair

For much of my adult life I have been engaged with the work of ORT, the global education network. I cannot begin to count the hours I have spent at meetings, on missions, visiting schools around the world or on Zoom calls.

But the single most rewarding experience of my time in this organization was the day I just spent with 21 of our Israeli students at my own home in Connecticut.

This group of young people, each of whom lost a close family member or friend on October 7 or in the months of violence since, travelled to the U.S. as part of a respite delegation led by educators and counsellors from World ORT Kadima Mada, our operational arm in Israel.

The two-week trip fostered a sense of normalcy, unity, and importantly fun, despite the challenging circumstances. The students took part in activities at JCC summer camps, cultural exchanges and recreational programming such as days out at Wild Play parks.

But crucially they also benefited from one-to-one and group counselling sessions every day, helping them process what they have been through and the emotional impact of this unprecedented upheaval and loss in their lives. This need for psychological support will remain extremely high throughout Israel, especially among these ‘first circle’ trauma victims, for a long time to come.

The trip was laced with its own mix of emotion, tragedy and pain. The group was renamed as the ‘Eyal Delegation’, in honor of Sergeant Eyal Shynes of the IDF’s Nahal Brigade who was killed in Gaza days before the group left Israel. Eyal’s mother, Mirav, is the manager of a World ORT Kadima Mada YOUniversity project in northern Israel and had been due to travel to the U.S. with the students.

And so when the delegation arrived at our small, historic synagogue in Amenia, across the state border in New York, we did not know what to expect. We found a packed congregation had turned out to welcome the Israelis. It felt like a High Holiday. When the rabbi gave the group a blessing, and then community members said kaddish, it was indescribable.

Later when we reconvened at our house, the teenagers dived into the home-made ice cream, snacks – and the lake – with relish.

Many of them played with our dog, Maple. She’s a gentle, black labrador and the kids could not leave her alone. Dogs are widely used in therapy and so it gave us the opportunity to really see these young people as themselves, outside of their school environment, relaxed and able to let go of everything they have been holding these past nine months.

The finale of their day was perhaps the most impactful. As a blue and white cake iced with the words ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ was placed on the counter, we played ‘Jerusalem of Gold’. All of a sudden, the students and their teachers, together with our friends and other visitors, stood swaying, arms around each other, waving the lights from their phones. Everyone was crying. It was very special – it was unexpected, unplanned and unrehearsed. The kids had such a sense of unity. You could see their love of their country in their eyes.

The day was a microcosm of what our colleagues in Israel are doing non-stop. In the most challenging circumstances they are working as hard as they can to help the students deal with these traumatic experiences. Staff themselves remain evacuated from their homes and communities in northern Israel. Each has their own story of loss and pain. We continue to work in evacuation centers across the country, helping thousands of young people, as well as their teachers and family members, deal with the upheaval, plan for the future and continue their education.

Like many organizations working in Israel or in Jewish communities worldwide, we talk about delivering impact but too often measure it in terms of refurbished buildings and new constructions. We must not lose sight of who is receiving the real benefits – the students, teachers, social workers and families at the heart of everything we do. Whether it is delivering our extra-curricular programs in the Galilee or running our youth village close to the Gaza border, the true impact of our supporters’ dedication and our decades-long work is most clearly measured in the hearts and minds of this group of young people.

I have been fortunate to have some amazing experiences during my time with ORT; meeting President Clinton and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, travelling to schools and communities around the world, but nothing prepared me for the unbelievably moving moment of witnessing those children in my own home, joining to share a sense of togetherness, belief and hope in a more positive future.

I will never forget it and it will be the catalyst for me to rededicate myself to supporting our global ORT family as we continue our vital work.

 

Judy Menikoff is Vice-Chair of World ORT and a former President of Women’s American ORT