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Chen
Cotler Abrahams of the Israel Trauma Coalition explains how it has become a
world leader by creating innovations to help people cope with trauma. (Micah
Garten)
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Following
his return from a trip to Israel, Micah Garten reflects on the changing
relationship of Israel and the Diaspora.
relationship of Israel and the Diaspora.
As director of Development for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and the
Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation, I had the opportunity recently to visit
Israel as part of a trip with Jewish Federations of North America. In the more
than 20 years since my last visit, it’s fair to say that much has changed as
Israel has advanced remarkably, embracing its reputation as a start-up nation.
The changes I witnessed, for me, parallel the changing relationship that North
American Jewry has with our homeland. Israel’s needs are different than they
once were, and so too are our needs as a Diaspora. We still yearn for a
connection to the homeland, but what that means has evolved.
Adapting to these changes, the North American Federations’ relationships
with Israel have evolved as well. For example in Ottawa, the majority of
Federation donor dollars go to serve local Jewish needs and programming in our
city. The dollars donated beyond our community, go to support Jews across the
world, not just in Israel.
Similarly, the projects we fund in Israel look vastly different than
those of even a decade ago. During my trip, I had the opportunity to see
firsthand some of the projects that we fund through our partners, the American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for Israel. I was
struck by the innovation of running employment training for both haredi Jews
and Israeli Arabs. Each group trains in a different program, but their learning
is shared across both communities. In every project I visited, this dual theme of
innovation and connectivity was repeated, with Israel striving to find new ways
to solve problems and connect diverse groups of people.
Perhaps the program that made the greatest impact on me was on a trip to
Sderot, where I heard from Taly Levanon and Chen Cotler Abrahams of the Israel
Trauma Coalition (ITC). You can imagine the diverse needs for resiliency that
exist in Israel. From Jewish communities in the south, under constant threat of
rocket attack and with cities where most children require counselling, to
Bedouin communities, and people with disabilities, Israel’s diverse population
presents vastly different needs. The ITC is a leader in identifying these needs
and helping to tailor resiliency and training programs that are customizable.
Given the unique circumstances that Israel faces, ITC has quickly become a
world leader creating innovations to help people to cope with trauma.
Sadly, this reality played out very close to home on October 27, 2018
when a domestic terrorist entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on
Shabbat morning and senselessly slaughtered 11 men and women. Within 24 hrs,
ITC was on the ground in Pittsburgh helping provide the Jewish community with
counselling and training.
That Israel has blazed ahead and can now send emergency response teams
to help Jews in North America is emblematic of not only the country’s
successes, but also the changes in our relationship to our homeland. Once a
barren landscape that needed pioneers and donor dollars just to survive, Israel
has made the dessert bloom and keeps reaching and moving forward, spreading and
sharing its innovation and gifts wherever possible. This success is our success
and speaks volumes about the values of Jewish peoplehood. This is a two-way
relationship and just as Federations understand the needs and benefits of
partnership, visiting Israel makes it clear that we are indeed better together.
