Wind Beneath my Wings: Reflections on a trip to Israel, a year after October 7th

October 7, 2023: A tsunami of horror, shock, disbelief, anger, sorrow, fear, anxiety.
October 8, 2023: Stress over the unspeakable horrors forced upon innocent Israelis by Hamas barbarians; the increasing alarm and mistrust caused by IDF and government failure; the ensuing psychological trauma, scarring and panic about the hostages, Israel and Jewish survival.
October 9, 2023: The media dispersing anti-Israel propaganda, international false charges of Israeli genocide against Palestinians, demonstrations of antisemitism on U.S. campuses, UNWRA complicity in Hamas terror. And plenty more.
And it goes on.

Above, a memorial to the victims murdered at the Nova music festival.

The photo above is of a flag featuring an Israeli man who saved many people at Nova but died trying to save even more.

Sitting at home in my West Orange Jewish bubble, I was falling into deep despair. I had to climb out of that rabbit hole. The only sensible, possible thing I could think of doing was go to Israel, see for myself and maybe find some antidote to my feeling of helplessness.

So in September I went on a volunteer trip to Israel with the Jewish National Fund – USA. It was JNF-USA’s 19th organized volunteer mission. There were 27 of us, from various places, all wanting to help rebuild the Israel Envelope (aka Gaza Envelope) and express unity with our Israeli sisters and brothers.

When we got there, we painted playground equipment and built benches at Kibbutz Tze’lim. We potted ornamental plants for a nursery owner in Ashkelon who had moved out of Gaza in 2005. She has had very few workers since October 7.

​Miriam Seiden, left, and Dr. Deborah Sherman, right,  painted playgroup equipment at a kibbutz in the picture above.  ​

Planting onamental plants in an Ashkelon nursery.

We went to the Druze village of Julis, where we helped Basma, an IDF widow, prepare and package 400 meals for soldiers in the Noor restaurant which she owns. Basma converted her kitchen to make it kosher so she could feed soldiers every day.

JNF-USA volunteers prepared and packaged 400 meals for the soldiers at Druze-owned Noor restaurant.

​Shuva Junction, a rest stop for soldiers in the Israel Envelope, needed help cleaning out their refrigerators. We cleaned enthusiastically, with some of us saying this was more than they do at home! 

​We talked with soldiers who were so grateful for the help, and to have a place to rest, eat, and drink. It felt so normal, and yet so otherworldly.

Ironically, we were on our mission on September 11. We went to West Jerusalem, home to the only 9/11 memorial outside the United States, for a ceremony commemorating that terrible day, as well as October 7.

We heard from a 20-year-old who lost both parents on October 7. He played guitar and sang “Imagine” without a tear. But we cried. A lot.

I wondered what John Lennon, who wrote the song, would have imagined had he been there.  

The Special in Uniform band performed “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” leaving everyone in a flood of tears. This unit is composed of disabled and autistic teens who become integrated into the IDF and Israeli society, fulfilling its core belief that everyone belongs and everyone has the right to reach his or her potential.

In one day we visited both the site of the Nova Festival and the field of burnt-out car remains. I have no words to express the deep sorrow we felt. How could this have happened?  

That same day, we traveled to an army base on the Gaza border. We were greeted by many of the soldiers in uniform whom we embraced; we talked, shared dinner, sang, and danced together.

An 80-year-old volunteer sang and danced with Special in Uniform.

We felt pure joy that evening. To go from deepest sorrow caused by evil that morning to pure joy and love later that same day is the Israel we took home with us.

The Israelis we met were resilient, motivated, inspiring, and appreciative. Our presence there helps alleviate their feeling alone in the world. Their presence did the same for us.

The anxiety I experienced before the mission dissipated while I was there. I returned home with the wind beneath my wings. I am hopeful. I know we will survive.

Go to Israel. You will be comforted and relieved.