A weeklong solidarity mission to Israel organized by the Chabad movement from 26 Jewish communities across the United States and Canada, which concluded this week, shared a message of fellowship and celebrated Israeli heroism in the face of war.

The trip, which was attended by a 170-strong member delegation from the adult education arm of Chabad-Lubavitch and was led by 26 rabbis and their wives, emerged as one of the largest single solidarity missions to Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.

The latest tour, which came as the war reached the six-month mark, included visits to Gaza border communities hard-hit in the attack, which killed 1,200 people, and saw 253 others abducted to Gaza. The mission met with bereaved parents and hostage families and engaged in volunteer work in farms and soup kitchens.

The group also distributed donations for widows and orphans, celebrated bar and bat mitzvahs with displaced Israeli youth at the Western Wall, placed over 100 mezuzot on a new army base, and hosted a barbeque dinner for hundreds of IDF soldiers stationed on the Gaza border.

“The soldiers asked that we share what we saw and experienced with our communities back home, so people don’t lose faith, don’t forget what happened, or fail to understand the importance of what is going on here,” said Jacob Levy from Tucson, AZ. “It is for all Jews that they are fighting for, every one of us would be worse off if there wasn’t an Israel.”

Deborah from Laguna Hills, CA, said that she joined the trip to show solidarity with the people of Israel but also because of the isolation of being a Jew in the Diaspora. “Seeing friends take anti-Israel stances publicly was shocking and distressing,” she said.

“In addition to coming here for the people of Israel, I also came to find community and connection with those who have a deep love of our people and the state of Israel, and I found that. I not only learned but actually experienced that we are not alone in this world but rather, we are one global Jewish family.”

Image - Courtesy