Jewish support for Israel from around the world continues to grow stronger over time. Since the beginning of the “Operation Swords of Iron” war, many donations have been sent to Israel, and numerous volunteers from Jewish communities worldwide have come to Israel to contribute to the struggle.
We spoke with Hila, a New York resident who has been involved in organizing numerous delegations on behalf of the “Emunah America” organization, about this heartwarming phenomenon.
“Emunah branches from all over the world, from the USA, South America, Europe, South Africa, and other countries have sent delegations to Israel for volunteer work,” Hila shared.
“We did harvesting, visited wounded in hospitals, prepared meals for soldiers, and many other activities that bring comfort to people. Even some of the organization’s leadership traveled to Israel almost every month for volunteer work. It truly warms the heart.”
“People who came from Europe and Australia rolled up their sleeves and went to work in agriculture; others visited bereaved families. It’s truly amazing. There are huge groups on social media that publish volunteer opportunities in Israel in all fields: serving meals to soldiers, donating blood, agriculture—everything.”
“According to a survey conducted here not long ago, no less than 80% of Jews in the United States define themselves as Zionists.
I believe that most of it comes from the Jewish education here, whether religious or secular. My children, for example, grew up here in New York and were educated in Jewish schools where they sang the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, in front of the Israeli flag, learned Hebrew, and constantly talked about Israel. Soldiers and national service women from Israel visit here, and everything is surrounded by love for the country.”
“And it’s not just in New York,” Hila continued. “Even in small Jewish communities in very remote places, everyone is educated in Zionism. Many schools encourage students to take a ‘gap year’ after high school. This is essentially a year in which they live in Israel, either at universities or yeshivas, and volunteer in various projects. Many of them connect to Israeli culture and choose to make Aliyah (immigrate to Israel) and join the army.”
“My son, who is now in the army in Israel, also did such a year. They traveled all over the country and experienced Israeli life, which greatly influenced him later. My daughter also recently joined a trip in Israel from Eilat to the Sea of Galilee. Zionism in the diaspora is passing on, and it is alive and well.”
Wanting to Feel Part of It
“The company that helps us in Emunah organize the delegations reported a 200% increase in demand for delegations. This means that not only are people not afraid to come here, they want to come here. In the last 3-4 months, this company organized 60 or 70 delegations. Each delegation has at least 40 people and can reach up to 100. The company that organized the trip my daughter participated in, NCSY, did another 30 such trips, each with at least 50-60 young people.”
“Beyond volunteering, the delegations strengthen the Israeli economy as participants stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, shop in markets, and support small businesses.”
“My daughter came back and said that not only did she not feel fear, but she also felt a great sense of security. I can tell you that in one of the delegations I participated in, we found ourselves caught in a series of alarms. Such events only strengthen the understanding of what Israelis are going through and increase support and identification with them.”
“In many cases, we came to support the wounded and families, and we ended up feeling strengthened ourselves. Everyone who returns from such a delegation becomes an ambassador of Israel in their home.”
