S.D. Jewish Federation Strengthens Ties with Grieving Sha’ar Hanegev
October 11, 2024
By Heidi Gantwerk
Heidi Gantwerk
JERUSALEM, Israel — Here in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur begins in a few hours, and I will soon be heading to synagogue for Kol Nidrei. This is my first time here for Yom Kippur, usually a solemn and reflective holiday, and especially so this year here, following so closely on the heels of the anniversary of the October 7 attack and the many ceremonies across the country.
It is starting to quiet down here in the city; the usual traffic has slowed, and schools and shops are shutting down. It is an unfamiliar but deeply comforting feeling to be in a place where most everyone around me is looking at the same calendar I am and following the same rhythms of observance.
Where else but in Israel do you get in a cab only to hear a beautiful version of Unetaneh Tokef on the radio? Where else but in Israel does your airline pilot welcome you upon landing with a Chag Sameach, Shanah Tovah and G’mar Chatimah Tovah?
I felt the same sense of belonging Monday night in San Diego, standing in solidarity with more than 5000 of you to commemorate the attack, to mourn those who perished that day or in the year that followed, and to support one another with the unyielding strength and determination the Jewish people have demonstrated for thousands of years. Once again, our community came together, in all its rich diversity, to stand together in unity. The fog rolled in around us, setting the right tone, and making it feel like we were in a place and time apart from everything around us.
I am here in Israel this week with a few of our lay leaders at the invitation of our partners in Sha’ar HaNegev, who last night held an extremely moving and often gut-wrenching commemoration of the attack. As the smiling faces of all of the residents of Sha’ar HaNegev who were murdered or been taken hostage scrolled across the screen, the grief and anger here felt like a physical weight. So many moments touched me; like the harmonies of local young conservatory students singing songs of loss and the heartfelt dance performance by Horah Shemesh, a local dance troupe, after which several of the dancers broke down in tears.
The fierce and powerful speeches Yonatan Shimriz, whose brother was taken hostage and later died in a friendly fire tragedy, and by Yamit Ashkenazi, the sister of hostage Doron Shteinbecher, were searing and painful. The translator in my earpiece could not get through most of the speeches without crying herself; she told us this was the fifth or sixth ceremony she has translated this week. And the music of the Lev Ofir choir, a group of young Ethiopian immigrants (whose choir is funded by a grant from our Federation in partnership with Impact Cubed Israel Emergency grassroots initiative) lifted all of our spirits and gave us hope.
Standing and singing Hatikvah side by side with so many people who have become such close friends as the evening came to a was a moment I will never forget. I was honored to speak on behalf of our San Diego Community. You can watch my remarks here [In Hebrew and English]. I shared our grief, our love and our pledge to continue to stand by them, and to return with our next CommUNITY Trip in 2027 to once again dance together under the stars.
I go into this Yom Kippur with much to contemplate. I welcome the quiet and the time to do this spiritual work, and I wish the same for all of you. May this Yom Kippur bring you strength, renewal, and a sense of peace. G’mar chatiah Tovah-may you be sealed for a good year.
Shanah Tova and Shabbat Shalom.
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Heidi Gantwerk is president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of San Diego.
