Tel Aviv

I am writing you from Tel Aviv. One of the great opportunities we have during this trip is to see some of the projects we help make possible in Israel – and experience first-hand the impact we can have through community support.

We started off the day at Independence Hall, where the State of Israel was declared. And then, as we drove through Tel Aviv, Israel’s financial and cultural center, we saw how far Israel has come in the past 62 years. This is a thriving society, which has become a haven for Jewish refugees from around the world, and even a beacon for others at risk around the world – such as thousands of non-Jewish refugees fleeing Darfur in Sudan.

I was struck by the indomitable spirit of the people of Israel, from the early pioneers who built a modern state out of swamps and desert, to those today who embody the value that all Israel is responsible for one another, helping to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots and to aid Jews at risk wherever they may be around the world.

It is also clear that the job of building a healthy and just Israeli society is far from complete, and our partnership with Israel, through the vital projects we support and the people-to-people connections we encourage is so very important.

We saw an amazing performance tonight, “Not By Bread Alone,” from a troupe of deaf and blind actors, called Na LaGaat (which means: please touch). Providing for physical needs is important. We do that in a number of very important ways. But it takes more than bread alone – and connecting on a personal level, making sure others are welcomed and respected…and have hope for the future, is an integral part of caring for our extended Jewish family in need around the world. And, as one of the participants in this program shared, “Our greatest strength is you.”

Thank you for helping make our work possible.