Below is an excerpt of a message Lori Binder, Head of School of  Gray Academy of Jewish Eduction sent to Gray Academy parents on April 12,2024. She reflected on her recent experiences in Israel ]

Being present in Israel at this critical time was a tremendous privilege and an important reminder of our responsibility, as diaspora Jews, to connect and care for our Jewish homeland.

The purpose of my journey
The main purpose of my trip was to participate in the Herzog UnitEd Fellows Program, which I was originally set to attend in November 2023. I spent a week in Jerusalem meeting with colleagues from 20 Jewish day schools in 13 countries to discuss the amazing work being done throughout the diaspora and our ongoing commitment to keeping Jewish students, families and communities deeply connected to Israel.

This important program is supported by Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and the Jewish Agency. Now more than ever, the people of Israel recognize that a strong, engaged Jewish diaspora means a strong Israel.

While we were in Jerusalem, I was asked to share some thoughts in a live Israeli radio interview about our school and community. I owe a great debt of thanks to my high school Hebrew teacher, Michal Lavy, for my ability to make it through the entire interview b'Ivrit!

You can click here to listen to the interview.

Connecting with P2G
I also visited with students and staff from Danciger High School in one of their temporary locations. Like most residents of Northern Israel, our P2G partners have been displaced from their homes and school since October. They were truly overwhelmed by the generous donations and messages of hope and support from our students, staff and families. Danciger's Grade 12 students, currently dispersed across the country, will be using the funds to come together in one place for a meaningful graduation celebration.

Hope and healing
Perhaps most important, I had opportunities to hear personal stories from Israelis, to volunteer with Eran's Angels, and to visit some of the sites of October 7. I was incredibly grateful to witness firsthand not only the grave impacts of October 7 but also the remarkable sense of resiliency and hope that permeates our tiny homeland, even in times of strife.

In fact, the day I arrived in Israel, the first sight outside my hotel window was a wedding. In Israel, life moves forward and joy continues, even in a time of great pain.

I was reminded of a line from Tehillim (Psalm 30):

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You turned my cries into dancing

No matter where we are in the world, no matter what befalls us, we are Am Ysrael - one people, united across oceans, time zones and millennia. 

Am Yisrael Chai