A show of solidarity and support for Israel


This past summer, Stephen Gaerber, current Allocations Committee Chair and national chair of the Coast-to-Coast partnership with Federation’s partnership region in northern Israel, was inspired to visit Israel.  Joining him in this demonstration of solidarity and support for Israel during the recent Gaza conflict, were Federation CEO Ezra Shanken, Calgary Jewish Federation’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) program chair Cathy Cole and Vancouver’s Gesher Chai chair Pam Wolfman.

 

For Pam, the trip was her first to Israel during a time of war, although by the time the group arrived in Israel, the ceasefire had been holding for a few days. Any safety concerns were quickly dispelled once the group arrived in Tel Aviv, where life seemed to be proceeding normally, except for the quieter than usual streets and fewer tourists.

 

This “business as usual” attitude was reinforced by a party of young adults from Sderot who joined the Canadian visitors for dinner on their first evening in Tel Aviv.  Pam was struck by how little time was spent discussing the situation or complaining about what they had endured.  Instead, their outlooks were positive and focused on their plans for the future.  “They had just been through several weeks of rocket fire in the south, and their lives were disrupted on a constant basis,” explained Pam. “Their resilience really impressed me.” 
 
Travel to Israel can be inspiring, fascinating, and confusing, even more so when citizens and visitors are aware of the constant threat of terrorism. The conflict provided a new filter through which Pam would experience the country, in a way that she hadn’t previously.  The group’s visit to the hospital in Tzfat left an indelible impression.  “We met the most extraordinary hospital administrators and doctors from this hospital which serves the Israeli communities near the border with Syria,” she explained. “They shared some stories with us about how the hospital staff had recently treated patients from Syria and all of the complexities involved with this humanitarian undertaking.”  The opportunity to meet patients and hear first-hand about their experiences of being treated in Israel was fascinating.  At the same time it was disheartening to learn that so few Canadians are aware that that there are places in Israel like Ziv Hospital where Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze work side by side, providing state of the art medical care for patients, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.  It’s the type of positive news that, unfortunately, rarely makes it to the mainstream media.

 

Pam’s sense of optimism was further reinforced by the feedback received from professionals, lay leaders, local leaders, and residents of our P2G partnership region, Etzbah HaGalil (Galilee Panhandle), about the positive impact of Federation’s Gesher Chai (living bridge) programs and profound difference they have made in the region. “The leaders in our partnership believe in the power of P2G to bring positive change and growth,’ she said. “They expressed a desire to continue widening the circle of involvement.”

 

The trip has further fuelled Pam’s commitment to supporting the people and the State of Israel.  Invigorated by renewed passion, she stressed, “We need to do everything we can to raise awareness about all of the truly amazing, positive things that are happening in Israel every day.” This included efforts to counter the negative portrayals of Israel in mainstream media, refuting the misinformation of the global movement for a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), or simply choosing to declare solidarity with Israel during times of crisis. Pam was moved by the appreciation expressed by Israelis for the support of Canadians and the current government.


Since her return to Vancouver, Pam has continued to advocate for building and strengthening the Gesher Chai programs in Vancouver, with the help of the local Israel and Overseas Affairs Committee (IOAC) and the Coast to Coast P2G. Planning for P2G Joint Steering Committee meetings is already in full swing, as Vancouver will welcome members of the P2G from Etzbah HaGalil and across Canada in June, 2015. “We are already looking forward to meeting with all of our partners to discuss on-going programming and exciting new initiatives, all in support of Israel and our own communities.”