For the past two and a half years, much of my time has been dedicated to rebuilding the kibbutzim in the western Negev and along Israel’s northern border that were devastated in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and the war that followed. These communities remain in the midst of a long and painful recovery process, marked by major setbacks alongside small victories, yet we will continue this process for as long as it takes.

The rest of my time is dedicated entirely to my son, Telem, who was born a year and a half ago. In Hebrew, telem is the furrow left behind by a plow. Beyond its agricultural meaning, for us, the plow symbolizes the rebirth of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel.

Courtesy

Neri Shotan, CEO of the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, with his 1-year-old son, Telem.

Telem was born in August 2024 and has never known a single day of quiet. When he was born, Israeli hostages were still being held in Gaza. He has seen his father’s eyes fill with tears when a hostage was returned in a coffin, and shine with joy when a hostage came home alive.

When Telem entered the world, sirens warning of missile fire from Yemen sounded every few days; and because we do not have a safe room in our home, Telem has known the path to the nearest public shelter from the moment he was born.

During Operation Rising Lion, we frequently ran to the shelter with Telem. I especially remember the final night of the operation, when massive rocket barrages lit up the sky, and then, just two hours later, everything returned to normal as if there had never been a war.

Telem is a little older and understands more now. Since the most recent war with Iran began, he has learned to recognize the sound of the alert on the phone that precedes a siren, and the fear that persists in his eyes is heartbreaking.

That look— when he understands that we must stop everything we are doing, even in the middle of a meal or a bath, and run quickly — does not leave me. The news and social media are filled with political and geopolitical analysis, but that look in his eyes tells the Israeli story better than any expert commentary, however wise it may be.

It is within this reality of rebuilding and living in the shadow of war that one partnership has stood out above all others: the profound and deeply moving support of American Jewry and Jewish communities across the Diaspora.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish communities around the world have stood beside the kibbutzim in extraordinary ways. Significant donations have been transferred through the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund, enabling communities to begin rebuilding not only homes and physical structures, but also communal life itself.

That support has translated into hundreds of initiatives and projects addressing real needs on the ground, including: the Wandering Kibbutz project that helps evacuated communities preserve communal life even outside their homes; an agricultural rehabilitation program assisting farmers in returning to their fields; the Ravid Path initiative which trains army veterans to serve as informal educators in the kibbutzim. Substantial assistance has been provided to families returning home; a therapeutic dog program helping children in the western Negev cope with trauma; and broad grants that enable kibbutzim to respond to their most urgent needs.

None of this could have happened without the commitment and generosity of American Jewry and Jewish communities around the world. At a time when Israeli society is coping with deep physical and emotional wounds, knowing that partners beyond the sea continue to stand with us is not something to be taken for granted.

But we have not yet returned to the Israel of Oct. 6, 2023. Israel remains in a constant state of emergency, and the road ahead is still long. As the current war with Iran reaches a dangerous peak, many communities require immediate assistance, even as they remain in the midst of a complex rehabilitation process, and as many children are still coping with trauma.

For the kibbutzim to withstand the difficult days the entire country is now experiencing and one day return to being places that truly live, create, and build, this support must continue.

In just a few weeks, the Jewish people will celebrate Passover — the holiday of freedom.

As a father, I know one thing with certainty: I will do everything to ensure Telem has a safe future, a future free from threat. But this responsibility is not mine alone. The responsibility belongs to all of us, to make that future possible for Telem and for all our children.

Sincerely,

Telem’s father

Neri Shotan is the CEO of the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund.