A year ago, like so many other Israelis, I sat glued to the news watching as the unimaginable unfolded. By the end of the day, over 1,000 Israelis were killed, over 200 were taken hostage, thousands were injured and hundreds of thousands had been evacuated from their homes. The next morning, IsraAid, the international humanitarian aid organization that I lead, launched its first full-scale response at home.

After over 20 years, and more than 100 emergencies in over 65 countries, our global experience was now needed in Israel. One year later, we’re still here, supporting communities as they struggle to rebuild their lives amid ongoing uncertainty and contend with a widening regional war on the northern border.

Courtesy/IsraAid

An IsraAid member works with Israeli community leaders in a training session on May 12, 2024.

This year has not been easy. Managing a response at home has involved a wide range of emotions and challenges that we had yet to face. Many of our team members were personally affected. No one in our headquarters was untouched. And yet the work must continue, both at home and abroad.

While so much of this year involved new challenges, it was our long-standing principles that held us afloat. The same practices that guide us in Malawi, Vanuatu, the Caribbean, Colombia, and elsewhere, were what allowed us to be effective at home. This year offered us an opportunity to see and viscerally experience our humanitarian values and principles in our own communities. And while these ideas come from our specific expertise, I think they have enormous value to anyone searching for hope while navigating crises.

First, we stay for as long as we are needed. Emergencies continue far beyond the initial shock, and recovery is a long process. At the beginning of any crisis, there is what I, somewhat cynically, refer to as the “aid circus”. There is an outpouring of aid and well-meaning volunteers, who after several weeks subside to a trickle and then disappear. We knew from the first days that we would remain committed to these communities for as long as they needed us. That’s what allowed us to build trust. And trust was the most important thing that we could rebuild after Oct. 7.

A year later, just like we promised, we’re still accompanying some 10 kibbutzim and moshavim that were attacked on Oct. 7 — from evacuation centers to temporary housing and eventually back home. This also means recognizing that recovery is not a straightforward process and being ready to adapt to new challenges as they arise. We’ve had to respond to a new emergency in the north while dealing with early and long-term recovery for communities in the south. We took the best practices from the south and used them to serve communities in the north. This is something we’ve learned to manage in Ukraine and many other ongoing crises.

At the same time, we design all our programs with our departure in mind. We build with the hope that the communities will take over, and work in a way that prepares for that eventuality. Whether that’s handing a fully functional school back over to regional authorities or having a kibbutz take over the operations of an art therapy studio, we celebrate the day that communities can manage without us. We stay for as long as we’re needed, and only as long as we’re needed.

The second principle is a community-led approach. When we arrive in a refugee camp in Kenya it’s obvious that while our team may have technical expertise, they are not the experts on this community. The community knows its own needs, culture, capacity and sensitivities best. That’s why we partner with communities and let them lead us rather than determine from on high what the best path forward is.

This is also true in Israel. Each kibbutz, moshav, and community have their own unique needs and capacities. Our job was never to dictate, but to offer our expertise as a supplement. To ask the right questions, really listen to the answers, and be ready to ask again and adapt as the situation changes. No two communities are the same. That openness and flexibility has allowed us to serve communities from all over Israel — from kibbutzim in the Gaza border region, to communities under bombardment across northern Israel, and the Bedouin communities in the south that lack shelter. Each program is tailored to and led by communities with their active involvement, in close partnership with local organizations, regional authorities and community members themselves.

Lastly — and in this conflict, this is perhaps the most important and trickiest aspect — we are and remain apolitical. We are not experts on military policy, politics, or advocacy. We work where there is a need, we have access and can offer added value to vulnerable communities. And through all this, we continue to deliver vital aid to vulnerable communities in 14 other countries around the world. It is better to do what we can, where we can, when we can, than focus on the things we cannot change. Neutrality, for us, means focusing on the practical.

Looking back on this very difficult year, I hold on to the same principles that have guided me through the dozens of disasters I have experienced in my career: from the earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima and the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, to the Syrian refugee crisis and the Ukraine war. If we can remain committed and let the communities lead us, every emergency offers the opportunity to bounce forward. Post-traumatic growth is possible, and every challenge has within it an opportunity to not only heal but to build back better. We have a long way to go, but it’s something we will continue to work for. I have held on to this belief through every disaster and emergency I have witnessed. And I must believe in it now too.

Yotam Polizer is global CEO of IsraAid.