Valley Beth Shalom - Israel Relationship
Valley Beth Shalom stands and will always stand in solidarity with Israel. Following the horrific events of October 7, the Valley Beth Shalom community mobilized to help our brothers and sisters in Israel. The VBS Israel Emergency Fund was established to direct funds to where they were needed most. We took action to support our Jewish homeland and organizations that provided services desperately needed during this period of unbearable grief.
As the next chapter of Jewish history begins in a post-October 7 world, strengthening our ties to Israel and growing our relationship with our Jewish family remains a core tenet of our community. As Rabbi Lebovitz stated in his Rosh Hashanah sermon: "We cannot go back to being October 6 Jews." We have recently decided to rename and refocus our Israel Emergency Fund to the Israel Relationship Fund in order for our community to establish relationships with Israelis and help sustain institutions there.
The Israel Relationship Fund is overseen by a dedicated committee that is chaired by Rich Robin. This effort to strengthen the bond between VBS and Israel will persist across our community.
Kibbutz Ruhama
Located approximately 10 miles from Israel's border with Gaza, Kibbutz Ruhama was spared from the horrific attack of October 7. In the wake of the devastation to its neighboring kibbutzim, Kibbutz Ruhama stepped forward and opened their kibbutz to the displaced and scattered members of Kfar Aza — 120 homes were built for the residents of Kfar Aza to provide them hope, stability, and a place to call home. The residents of Ruhama understood that their land and labor was needed for the rehabilitation and healing of the Kfar Aza community. They saw it as a great honor to bring on Kfar Aza and felt that they were engaging in one of the most Zionist activities of their existence.
During the most recent VBS mission in early January 2025, our community delegation visited Kibbutz Ruhama. Rich and Nurit Robin also visited the kibbutz in December 2024 and again in February 2025. We all saw first-hand the resilience and partnership of the two communities.
As an exciting step, VBS has committed $140,000 toward Kibbutz Ruchama. JFEDLA has partnered and agreed to match VBS dollar for dollar. This means that Ruchama will now have the resources to complete the building of a skate park and bike bump track for the first such teen park in the region and also renovate it’s community center and senior center.
VBS intends to build a multi-tiered relationship with Kibbutz Ruhama. We will continue our visits during our Israel volunteer missions. We look forward to our 6th grade Grinberg Passport to Israel program incorporating Ruhama into its itinerary as a pillar of the trip. Plus, we are interested in creating a buddy system for our young families to build relationships with young families there and our seniors to forge relationships with seniors there so that the members of our community can all maintain friendships and positive relationships with Israeli counterparts.
Yahalom Foundation
The IDF Special Forces Unit, Yahalom, is responsible for engineering and explosives. Most notably, they carried out the innovative tunnel warfare necessary to battle Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. After visiting the Yahalom base on the VBS Maccabee Mission II in January 2025, VBS welcomed representatives of the foundation to our campus in February. That evening welcomed hundreds to an inspiring Yahalom Foundation presentation and raised an excess of $50,000 to support the foundation. This contribution will benefit Yahalom soldiers with PTSD, soldiers trying to adapt to civilian life, wives and children grieving fallen heroes, and providing the current unit on active duty with increased resources.
Supporting Israeli Organizations
The organizations VBS supports:
Leket Israel
The National Food Bank, is the leading food rescue organization in Israel.
Yemin Orde (ImpactIsrael)
ImpactIsrael partners with Yemin Orde Youth Village and Village Way Educational Initiatives to turn Israel's most vulnerable youth into upstanding individuals through the power of education.
Israel Guide Dog Center
The Israel Guide Dog Center is dedicated to improving the lives of visually impaired Israelis through the faithful assistance of a guide dog.
Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation
The mission of the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation is to support lone soldiers before, during, and after their army service.
Achim L'Neshek (Brothers and Sisters in Arms)
In the wake of the October 7 massacre, VBS contributed to meet the needs of IDF soldiers responding to crisis.
Israel Mission Trips
Following the horrific massacre on October 7, Rabbi Lebovitz advocated for a community mission to support IDF soldiers, displaced and hostage families, and all members of our Israeli family. The VBS community has sent multiple mission trips to Israel, led by Rabbi Lebovitz and passionate volunteers.
In December 2023, Nurit and Rich Robin chaired a trip to serve with the thousands of Israeli volunteers who have been sustaining Israel during the ongoing crisis. This group bore witness at Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak, visited Danny's Farm (an organization that provides support for trauma victims), picked and sorted fruits and vegetables on affected kibbutzim and at Leket Israel (the National Food Bank), and showed solidarity at Kikar Hatufim (Hostage Square) in Tel Aviv.
In the summer of 2024, Rabbi Lebovitz led another mission trip to Israel. This group supported lone soldiers over Shabbat, assisted with harvesting produce, bore witness to the horrors of October 7 at Kibbutz Nir Oz and the Nova Music Festival site, provided a barbecue for IDF paratroopers in the North, and visited organizations who received support from our Israel Emergency Fund.
In the winter of 2025, Rabbi Lebovitz led a mission trip to Israel to volunteer at Kibbutz Be'eri, Pantry Packers, Michael Levin Center, and Leket Israel. Additionally, the group toured Magen David Adom Blood Services Center, Kibbutz Ruhama, the Nova Music Festival site, and the Yahalom Base.
Speakers
Storytelling has preserved collective memory and kept the Jewish people alive for thousands of years. Following the atrocities of October 7, VBS brought numerous speakers to elucidate current events and offer insight into the collective zeitgeist of the Jewish people. Survivors of OCtober 7 were given a safe place to share their stories, and activists guided us from anguish to action.
We welcomed Amit Braslavski (pictured right, middle), brother of hostage Rom Braslavski, who was kidnapped from the Noval Music Festival. Kfar Aza survivor Sigal Yacobi and her daughter, Meitar, gave first-hand testimony of their experience. Ambassador Ido Aharoni Aronoff (pictured right, above), a 25-year veteran of Israel's foreign service, gave our community a briefing during the early weeks of the war. Scholar in Residence Gil Troy (pictured right, below), award-winning American presidential historian and leading Zionist activist, spent a weekend engaging our community and teaching Israel's story to our high school students.
Additional guests included Yahalom, European Leadership Network, former Knesset member Rabbi Dov Lipman and Andrea Levin, Executive Director and President of CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis). On his video series "Thinking Aloud with Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz," Rabbi Lebovitz interviewed author Daniel Gordis and former Israeli Knesset member and author Einat Wilf.
It is our collective responsibility to hear survivors' stories, provide support, and continue standing in solidarity with Israel.
Tue, March 11 2025
11 Adar 5785
