As the most senior religious leader of Michigan’s largest Jewish congregation, Rabbi Harold Ross has visited Israel many times over the decades and finds inspiration in its vibrancy.
But when Ross, 79, of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, visited the country earlier this year for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the other Michigan rabbis who accompanied him. I felt a different atmosphere from my previous visits.
“Everywhere in Israel today, there is overwhelming sadness and anxiety mixed with determination,” Ross said. “I often shed tears while listening to people’s stories.”
Ross’ trip was one of several visits to Israel in recent months by Jewish residents of metro Detroit, who have traveled to show solidarity, comfort victims and distribute supplies to those in need. Some traveled in groups with local and national Jewish and Israeli organizations, while others traveled individually, demonstrating the close ties between Michigan’s Jewish community and the state of Israel.
In October, the country experienced its worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Ross is one of four metro Detroit rabbis who traveled to Israel in January to visit a kibbutz and music festival site attacked by Hamas, delivering clothing and toiletries collected by congregations. The Jewish Federation of Detroit has raised tens of millions of dollars to support Israel.
Recalling the emotional scene in which she met a mother who had lost her child in the war, Ross said, “This trip was to let her know that she had so much support and to give her a hug.” Ta. “We were sitting with a woman at the grave of her son who had just died as a member of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”
As Passover begins Monday night, many in the Jewish community will remember the story of Jews fleeing oppression in ancient Egypt, which this week-long holiday celebrates. This is a story that remains relevant today for Jews as they face new challenges. This year, the Jewish community will remember the hostages and other war victims still held by Hamas during the holiday, which marks the religious banquet known as the Passover Seder. .
“Passover is a holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from the oppression of slavery,” said West Broome, one of four Michigan rabbis visiting Israel on a trip in January. Rabbi Shalom Cantor of Field’s B’nai Moshe Congregation explained. “There are a lot of people…writing liturgical texts that will be added to Passover…working towards the release of hostages. and put it on the seder table…as if to make room for that person.”
“Once again, our citizens have been taken hostage and become prisoners of war,” he said. “There is a clear connection between the need to free hostages and the freedom that Passover celebrates.”
Cantor visited Israel many times and lived there for several years. His experience on a three-day trip in January to border areas near Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Gaza was unlike any other visit.
“There was an atmosphere of calm, or excitement… that showed that this was a different Israel,” he said. “There was some introspection about what happened.”
On April 13, Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in an unprecedented attack in retaliation for the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria that killed three senior Iranian military officials. At that time, my anxiety increased. There were reports on Friday that Israel had launched an attack on Iran, but officials from both countries did not immediately confirm this. The fighting comes as more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and 70,000 injured after an October 7 Hamas attack killed around 1,200 people.
“It’s still October 7th in Israel,” said Rabbi Stephen Rubenstein of Congregation Beth Arm in West Bloomfield, another of the four rabbis on the January trip. “The reason this country still clings to that date is because in Israel, we cannot forget their absence, even though in many parts of the world the lives of hostages have been put on the back burner. That’s the nature of people.”We’re waiting for the hostages to come back.”
Rubenstein made his second trip to Israel this year with Ramah Israel, which organizes solidarity and service trips to Israel where people can volunteer. He worked on a farm and also helped prepare sandwiches for Israeli soldiers.
“At our first stop, we sorted vegetables. The vegetables were distributed not only to the poor, but also to the families of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers whose family members are in difficult situations due to long-term service.” Rubenstein said. volunteer work. “One day we were in the rakkyo field for a little while, basically weeding.”
After the October 7 attacks, Israel’s agricultural sector was hit hard as many foreign migrant workers left the country. Among the victims of Hamas attacks were farm workers from countries such as Thailand. Several Thai hostages are still being held by Hamas.
During a trip in January, Rabbi Daniel Schwartz of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield dropped a case of socks collected by his congregation in his hotel room. Many Israelis are currently living in hotels because they cannot safely return to their homes in border areas. The hotel has a donation area where you can drop off items such as toys, clothing, toiletries, etc., and others can pick it up if needed.
Schwartz said the soldiers also received Gold Bond talcum powder, which they requested to keep their feet clean, body warmers, and energy bars to “maintain strength and provide a little comfort.”
The most powerful moments of the trip included speaking with survivors of Hamas attacks in two areas the rabbis visited: Nova Music Festival and Kibbutz Kfar Azha.
Schwartz said there was “not a dry eye in the room” during his meetings with survivors. “I was there where these things were happening, and I still can’t believe that a human being could do something like that to another human being.”
At the same time, Schwartz and others were encouraged by the stories of courage.
“We heard tear-jerking stories of destruction, but also stories of hope about how the rest of humanity responded,” Schwartz said. “You saw humanity…people who were able to run in the other direction turned to those who needed help. They jumped into the fire.”
He recalled meeting two troublemakers at the hospital. They said they were in an area north of Tel Aviv on October 7 when they heard about the attack, began acquiring weapons and joined police in a mission to help free civilians until military forces arrived. . . They also met with a group of Bedouins from the city of Rahat who are said to have cooperated in the fight against Hamas on October 7.
“Rahat…is a mostly Muslim Bedouin community in Israel that did a heroic job on October 7th by going inside and rescuing other Israelis,” Schwartz said. .
The rabbis shared their experiences with the congregation in their sermons, offering a way to deepen their ties to Israel. Rubenstein asked his followers to buy dog tag necklaces in memory of the hostages, with proceeds going to the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. On Thursday, his synagogue and Jewish Federation will host a presentation about his experience by Natan Neppe, commander of the Israel Defense Forces search and rescue team.
Some of the stories they heard during their trip to Israel were too explicit to share, Ross said.
“I took a picture on my phone, but it’s so painful that I haven’t shared it with anyone and I never will,” Ross said.
Despite witnessing the pain, the rabbis said they saw a positive determination among the Israelis. While Israel has faced reluctant criticism in recent months for its attacks on Gaza, the visit reinforced the view that Israel has the right to actively defend itself from threats.
“We met with so many people who decided that this is not part of the survival of the state of Israel. Hamas will not be in a position to take lives as it has been in the past,” Ross said. . Therefore, it was necessary to reestablish the defense and Hamas no longer needed to come to power. ”
“This is the largest number of people killed in an act of anti-Semitic hate since the (Holocaust),” Ross added. “And Israel has a responsibility to provide security for its people…People in every land of every country should be able to live in peace, shalom.…I will live to see the Middle East in crisis. “I think it’s peaceful, but it’s a very complicated issue.”
Contact Niraj Warikoo at nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo.
