Earlier this month JFS Board Engagement Stephanie Elkind, Jodi Bring and Jeffrey Swartz in partnership with Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland hosted Lyana Rotstein, an Israeli tour guide to speak about the current state of Israel. Stephanie Elkind traveled to Israel with many other JFS Donors for CJP’s mission trip in 2017, and Lyana was the Israeli tour guide! Stephanie Elkind decided to reach out to Lyana to see if she would be interested in coming to the U.S. and giving the community a first-hand update. She spoke about the state of the country before and after the events of October 7th, the overwhelming feeling of solidarity, and untold stories in the media.
Before the events of October 7th, the country was divided and occupied with their own lives. Now after October 7th, many people are out of jobs and are going out of their way to help each other in any way they can. For example, many of the farms have been abandoned because they are war zones. The food on the farm still needs to be picked and put to use, so citizens have been making food baskets for the soldiers. Lyana told a story of a young man who was recently killed and how the community showed up with Israeli flags outside of the ceremony to show signs of peace and solidarity. Community members have also made Shiva calls for those they have never met.
There was an opportunity at the end of the event to write greeting cards for soldiers, that many attendees participated in. Lyana expressed so much appreciation for all the support during this difficult time.
Thank you to Lyana and Temple Shir Tikva for helping us host this Wonderful Impactful Event!