H EADLINES
Local Leaders Show Solidarity to Israel Via Mission
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
GOING INTO A solidarity
mission to Israel organized
by the Jewish Federations of
North America, Sherrie Savett,
Sharon Kestenbaum, Tracy
Ginsburg and Gail Norry all
knew that Israel faced immense
challenges. But even with that knowl-
edge, the journey opened
their eyes and deepened
their commitment
— emotionally and fi nancially
— to supporting the Jewish
state through their work
with the Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia.

A few weeks ago, Savett,
Kestenbaum, Ginsburg and
Norry, who are all active in
Jewish Federation, joined
more than 30 other Federation
donors, leaders and volunteers
from across the United States
for the mission. Th e four-day
educational trip included
a meeting with Knesset
members and visits to several
communities. Th is year’s mission took
place aft er the latest Israel-
Palestine confl ict, in which
Israeli citizens hid in safe
rooms and bomb shelters
during heavy rocket fi re. Th e
intention was to give the group
a deeper understanding of
the oft -tragic situation in the
Jewish state.

And there was no sugar-
coating the narrative.

Th ey met with the parents
of a 5-year-old boy, Ido Avigal,
who was killed by a rocket on
May 12 in Sderot. Th ey visited
a kibbutz, Kfar Aza, near Gaza
that faced heavy rocket fi re
during previous confl icts, too.

Th ey even visited a community
center trying to bring people
together in Lod, a city that
saw rioting between Arabs and
Jews during the crisis.

“It’s mind-boggling how the
Israelis deal with all this adver-
sity,” Ginsburg said. “Th ey are
an incredible people.”
By the end of the trip, the
participants were no longer
in shock over the intractable
confl ict. Instead, they were
hopeful about future relations
between the Jewish and
Arab citizens within Israel’s
borders. As Knesset members told
the group, the current body has
more Arab members, 14, than
any previous government.

See Solidarity, Page 13
The four Philadelphia-area leaders who went on the solidarity mission
to Israel in July are, from left, Sharon Kestenbaum, Sherrie Savett, Tracy
Ginsburg and Gail Norry.

Photo Courtesy of Sherrie Savett
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