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This week Israel has been eventful from start to finish, and filled with interesting tours and meetings. Some highlights not related to our program include 6:00 a.m. wakeups and my subsequent burgeoning addiction to caffeine. We have seen thriving young communities and mission-driven organizations from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, from Ben Shemen to Acco. We have also seen first-hand the challenges that Ethiopian immigrants to Israel face, as well as gaining valuable insights into their culture and way of life. Some of our day trips this week included the Ethiopian communities in Bat Yam and Kiryat Moshe. Some of the particular issues that new immigrants face are low socioeconomic standing, large generational gap, and the cultural shock of being uprooted from one land and attempting to continue life in another. Ethiopian communities that are models of success tend to pride themselves on their unique heritage and customs, while making extensive efforts to become participants in Israeli life. Our visits took us to community centres, schools, ulpanim, offices, and basketball courts. The fact that so many people, with the support of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, are dedicating their lives to improving the living conditions and future prospects for these communities is very inspirational.

Another equally important visit, and definitely an extremely emotional one, was to the NATAL trauma center in Tel Aviv. This organization, which employs both volunteers and professional staff, plays a key role in Israel. It is dedicated to counseling and assisting Israelis of all types who are affected by trauma. This can include soldiers, those who have lost family members to war or terror, victims of terror (such as residents of Sderot or the north), and family members of those severely affected by traumatizing experience. NATAL’s headquarters hosts volunteers (who run the help-phone line), mental health professionals, and stress-relief and educational activities, as well as a whole multitude of other things. What we learned there is that many, many Israelis are affected by trauma and its symptoms, for a wide variety of reasons. Many of them do not get the help they require, but NATAL is trying to help. They send out mobile teams to help people in places like Sderot, which need them badly. NATAL also made it clear that, while they have been able to accomplish a lot, there is a whole lot more they could do with increased awareness of their services. That’s why I’d advise anyone to take a look at their website (or borrow the video on the mobile team in Sderot that they gave me). They also made it abundantly clear that they’d be happy to speak to anyone interested in what they do, or to send a speaker for any kind of function. The bottom line is, they’re providing an essential (although often overlooked) service to many of the people in Israel who are adversely affected by terrorism, war, and even domestic issues. An organization like this certainly deserves our attention and praise – not to mention our help.