Israel is at War, but There Are Still Smiles amid the Grief

I’m still processing all the incredible things that happened last night.

Thanks to my good friends David Nekrutman of the Isaiah Projects, who spearheaded an incredible initiative to relocate and care for the needs of scores of people evacuated from the Gaza area, and my good friend Jeffrey Mark, owner of J. Mark Interiors, who made magic happen, we were able to give dozens of beautiful people a night they’ll never forget.

Arts and crafts and movies for the kids. Pizza and popcorn. Felafel and cotton candy. Singing and smiling. Volunteers stepped up in a way that still astounds me, including all of Jeffrey’s staff, family, and friends, and Ruth and Francis, Christian friends I had only met yesterday on a webinar briefing I hosted at 4:00 am and who happened to be visiting, and my own children. Everyone wanted to do something to help.

All this was possible because of the thousands of generous donations from Christians and Jews all over the world. Each one, from as little as $1, made all this possible, as well as so much more that’s planned and needed. I’m just privileged on behalf of the Genesis 123 Foundation to be entrusted with these donations and to be able to make it all possible.

Under normal circumstances, images of happy, smiling kids are, well, normal. It’s what we, as parents, expect and strive for. But for the kids we’ve been able to help this week, simple things such as playing outside, watching movies, doing arts and crafts, and feasting on pizza and junk food are far from the norm. For the first 10 days of the war, living six miles from the Gaza border, they didn’t leave their houses because they only had 15 seconds to seek cover each of the hundreds of times rockets were fired. Daily. Last night, these precious beautiful children had no worries.

It’s impossible to share how much this was not just good but essential for the parents as well. It was a critical respite for them where they, too, were able to breathe. Seeing their children happy and cared for, engaged and not afraid, was more than enough. It’s impossible to share here how much they all, each one, articulated how grateful they were. Often with tears in their eyes. The idea of Jews and Christians standing together to make this happen blew them away, especially considering that many had never even met a Christian before. Until they met Ruth and Francis.

For us Jewish Israeli adults, the experience was a much-needed respite as well. For me, David, and Jeffrey, who moved to Israel too old to serve in the IDF, but whose children have served and are serving now, we left inspired. Hopeful. Grateful. Grateful that we each had the ability to step up and partner together like this, coalescing family and friends and generous donors from all over the world to make this possible. For a few hours, while we did not live under the threat of hundreds of rockets a day as the evacuees like our new friends have, we did not have to be obsessed with the horrors of the news of continued death count and atrocities that took place against our people, our neighbors, less than two weeks ago. For just a few hours, like our new friends, we were able to live in a moment of warmth and happiness and the ability to give to others. For that, each of us will be grateful forever and grateful to everyone who donated so generously to make this happen.

But there are many, many, many additional needs. Despite their smiles, the children have experienced unspeakable trauma and will need months, if not years, of counseling. We have been privileged and grateful to have raised enough money to pay for their hotel next week, one more week of an opportunity to breathe safely without living and sleeping in fear. Actually, what we heard was that they weren’t even sleeping as they anticipated the rockets all night.

But the hotels only provide breakfast, so lunch and dinner are on us. Yesterday I received a call from an American organization here on the ground that wants to help with meals. On the way home with my two daughters, touched and moved by all the amazing kindness that we were able to be part of, we planned a barbecue for next week and will receive donations to make that happen, not just to stretch the financial donations that we’ve already received as far as we can, but to give as many people the opportunity to participate in this tremendous, and tremendously necessary, act of kindness. We are appealing to everybody, Jews, Christians, friends, family, and complete strangers everywhere in the world, to join us with their most generous support because the needs will be great for a long time, and we want to be there and with them as much and as long as possible.

All of this has taken place in the context of an unprecedented and unspeakable war where thousands of our civilians have been butchered, violated, gravely injured, and kidnapped in the most horrific ways. It’s a war that we must win, and it’s a war that we will win. And it’s a war that will have many more losses and much more grief. It will likely get worse, much worse before it gets better. But we’re praying that it gets better and then our new friends will be able to return home soon.

At one point, two young men arrived with guitars, just wanting to sing and make people happy, breaking out into a song in which everybody joined. It’s a song of peace, a song in Hebrew and in Arabic. It was surreal listening to people who days earlier had been living in fear and stress, who had witnessed horrors and only by the grace of God were spared, and now, in a safe place, singing that “soon there will be peace for us.” Incredible. Unimaginable. Moving. Inspiring. Hopeful.

Today I will go to the hotel and have the privilege of swiping my credit card to pay for the entire week’s stay for dozens of evacuees for all of next week. When I told the adults last night that we were covering their next week, they smiled, they held their hands to their hearts, they wept, and they could not stop thanking me.

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Photo Courtesy: Jonathan Feldstein, Used with Permission

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.

 Jonathan Feldstein was born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes regularly for a variety of prominent Christian and conservative websites and is the host of Inspiration from Zion, a popular webinar series and podcast. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.