By Jacob Kamaras
LA JOLLA, California — For the 219 community members and professionals who traveled to Israel in May on Jewish Federation of San Diego “CommUNITY” trip, the timing of their visit to San Diego’s longtime partner region of Sha’ar HaNegev was unforgettable.
Rocket attacks in the area began just hours after the visitors departed Sha’ar HaNegev. More than 3,000 residents, many of whom had hosted San Diegans for lunch one day before, had to be evacuated to safety.
“We knew that things could change on a dime, so we had a Plan B and a Plan C,” Heidi Gantwerk, President and CEO of Jewish Federation of San Diego, told San Diego Jewish World. “But the timing could not have been more perfect. Because it was such a relief, and because they were in the middle of these tensions, the experience was even more joyful and even more connected. Almost everybody was at a lunch with no more than four other people, hosted by someone in a border kibbutz in Sha’ar HaNegev. The next day, most of those people had to be evacuated. The connection, the tie that this forged was pretty powerful. If you previously sort of thought Sha’ar HaNegev was this far-away place, after you’ve sat in a resident’s house and had lunch, and then you know that those children the next day are being rushed to safety, that connects you to a place.”
In fact, earlier in the trip, the group had needed to adapt its itinerary due to the latest wave of rocket attacks against Israel.
“Right from the first day of this whole experience, we were dealing with the reality of life in our partner region,” Gantwerk said. “At that point, instead of us all going to Sha’ar HaNegev, which was the plan, they came to us, and all of the professionals from Sha’ar HaNegev joined us in Jerusalem for a marvelous night of programming, community building, and camaraderie.”
When the trip’s “Partnership Day” in Sha’ar HaNegev itself was eventually possible, seven buses visited different kibbutzim on the border with Gaza in what has now been San Diego’s partner region for 25 years. The group also celebrated the opening and dedication of a new sports and cultural center partially funded by Federation and named for Michael Jeser, former Federation CEO, who tragically passed away from cancer in 2021 at age 45. Partnership Day concluded with San Diegans and Sha’ar HaNegev residents marking the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer together at a traditional bonfire celebration.
Other events throughout the trip included an opening ceremony overlooking the old city of Jerusalem; food tours in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; moments of somber reflection at Yad Vashem (the World Holocaust Remembrance Center); team-building activities including challenges and games that required collaboration and cooperation; Shabbat services, meals, and Havdalah. The group also spent time in northern Israel exploring geopolitics and security, and visiting disadvantaged youth and immigrants from Ethiopia, Russia, and many other countries, as well as enjoying local cuisine and tasting wine and olive oil.
Gantwerk said that the larger-scale moments of ritual were among the most memorable and transformational experiences, underscoring the trip’s goal of cultivating communal unity.
“For example, at Havdalah, you have everyone together, with seven rabbis from different segments of the population and the community all standing together, all sharing this space,” she said. “When we danced at Rosh HaNikra, you would grab somebody’s hand, and they would be someone you would never interact with normally. But all of a sudden, you’re dancing this incredibly raucous Hora with them…All of that brought us together in these really beautiful ways at times when normally we wouldn’t be together.”
She continued, “Your attention is focused on the group and on the trip. There are no distractions. You’re there to be with this group of people, and so you’ve made a commitment to building and being a part of this community, and it really pays off.”
The San Diegans also met with Chairman of the Executive at The Jewish Agency for Israel Maj. Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog, who Gantwerk described as “an extraordinary person and an extraordinary hero for Israel.” Almog led an operational task force against the terrorists who murdered Israeli Olympians team in 1973, commanded the first task force to land in the 1976 Entebbe rescue mission, and commanded a number of clandestine missions to bring Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. Upon his retirement from the IDF, he established the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran residential and outpatient rehabilitation center for children, teens, and young adults with severe disabilities, named after his son Eran, who died at a young age from Castelman’s disease.
“He has been through such personal trauma,” Gantwerk said of Almog. “He shared his personal story with us as the motivation to see an Israel that cares for everybody, that provides opportunity for everybody. He was sharing with us why he is in the position he’s in as the Chair of The Jewish Agency, and he also shared some reflections on the current situation in Israel, and the need to maintain the rights and privileges and care and responsibility for everyone living in Israel, and how important that is regardless of what government is in power and what they are doing to make sure people are taken care of…What he has done, and the role he has played in Israel’s history, is really quite remarkable.”
Almog told San Diego Jewish World, “I was so moved to meet so many members of the San Diego community in Jerusalem as we celebrate Israel’s 75th. Your warmth and love for Israel and for your community are a source of inspiration. The unity of our people is what has enabled us to overcome challenges throughout the ages and what will propel us forward. San Diego plays an important role in building this unity and I am so grateful for their dedication.”
Thirty participants from the 219-member delegation proceeded to visit the United Arab Emirates to explore firsthand the culture in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to meet with representatives of the brand-new and growing Jewish community there, and to understand the impact of the Abraham Accords.
“We arrived in Dubai from Israel, went straight to Shabbat minyan and dinner…and we davened alongside these people and we knew every tune. That is a moment that could not have been possible a few years ago,” Gantwerk said, calling it “a really hopeful thing in the Middle East.”
The group visited a Holocaust exhibit in Dubai and the first synagogue built in the Gulf in 100 years.
“We’re watching Jewish life, in a sense, being created from scratch,” said Gantwerk.
The CommUNITY trip included nearly 70 first-time visitors to Israel and 70 Jewish communal professionals. According to the Federation, as a result of the experience, 19 households became major donors, 11 women became new Lions of Judah, 92 people became first-time donors to the Federation, and 100% of participants made a commitment to supporting the Federation. Every bus is already planning social gatherings back home in San Diego, and the Federation is working on a leadership development plan as a follow-up experience for emerging leaders who were on the trip.
Gantwerk said the Federation hopes that trip participants “are going to support and stay connected to the work that we’re doing both in Israel and overseas, and here in San Diego.”
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Jacob Kamaras is editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World.