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The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2014 - Page 3 The Strength of a People. The Power of Community. The Talmud teaches, “The world is too heavy for anyone to carry alone. ” With these words, we are reminded of the impor tance of collective responsibility; wherever a person is in need, there is an entire community ready, willing, and able to provide assistance, care, and support. Here is a personal account of that sense of solidarity and Klal Israel and the power of our Jew ish community. By Becca Gerger When I first moved to Israel, I felt like Israel was speeial for its land and history, espeeially as it eonneets to Judaism and the Jew ish people. I would feel my hands shaking at the Western Wall, and I would see Jews from all over the world living in this vibrant plaee together. Through those unforget table experienees, I realized why I deeided to move to Israel and serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forees). Over time hummus also beeame a huge part of the equa tion - kidding, sort of. Eventually after a struggle to understand Is raeli eulture, I began to love Israel for the warmth and love that radi ates within people and their fami lies. No matter how mueh all the soldiers on my team argued, at the end of eaeh eneounter awaited a silent forgiveness as we forged a transeendent unity that took me - and is still taking me - years to un derstand. My name is Rebeeea Gerger and I moved to Israel (made Aliyah) in 2010, and enlisted in the IDF. I served in the IDF as a female eombat soldier in an in fantry team on the border of Egypt. During that time I was known as a “Lone Soldier” (an Is raeli soldier, often times from out side of Israel, who has no family living in Israel to support them). I grew up in Charlotte and spent my youth in BBYO and USY, and graduated in 2008 from Provi- denee Day Sehool. I eurrently have been released from the army and live in Jerusalem, where I am a student at the Flebrew Univer sity. Living in Jerusalem this past summer was diffieult. Rioting and nationalistie erimes oeeurred throughout the eity, while an IDF ground operation began in Gaza. Roekets were intereepted over my apartment as I studied for my final exams. When the Operation expanded in July, many of my friends were ealled to serve. I will never forget the morning of July 20 when I found out that at least 16 soldiers had been killed the night before in Gaza. When I learned that two of those soldiers were Ameriean lone soldiers, one of them an aequain- tanee named Max Steinberg, my ehest dropped. Max was from California serving in the Golani Brigade. Like my family. Max’s family was a typieal Ameriean Jewish family who loved their son, and supported him when he deeided to move to Israel. The losses that night really hit home for me, and I didn’t know what to make of them. I eouldn’t stop thinking about how horrible it would be if something had hap pened to me in eombat, and my family finding out thousands of miles away. I remember ealling Becca Gerger my dad that night and telling him how alone I felt. Max’s funeral was held on July 23 at Mount Flerzl. As I was sit ting on the train towards Mount Flerzl, I remember trying to hold baek the tears. I wondered who would show up to these soldiers’ funerals? Flow would their fami lies eope with what had happened, when there are so few people they eould turn to who had been through what they were about to go through? To my surprise, by the time I arrived to Mount Herzel there were so many people I eould not even see the burial site. The heavy feeling in my ehest left my body when I raised my head and saw thousands of people in all diree- tions gathering to lay Max to rest with his family. Instead of erying, I smiled. I was in disbelief. More Jewish Federation Impact 365 Impacts65 hosted a Scotch & Cigars Tasting this past October. Participants sampled a selection of scotches, partook of hearty appetizers, and finished the evening with cigars on the patio. Save the date for Impact365 Annual Comedy Night: Saturday, January 10. Impacts65 is a giving society for young adults donating a dol- lar-a-day ($365) to the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. ] 'EF EWISH^ FEDERATION ^ than 30,000 Israelis from all over the eountry gathered to be with Max’s family and show their love and support on this one oeeasion. I realized that all of Israel was there for Max, and for all the lone soldiers who had ever deeided to leave their homes abroad to eome and defend the state of Israel. It was the first time in my life that I knew with eertainty I was in the right plaee, and that just as Max had been there for the Jewish state of Israel, Israel was there for him. No matter how alone I had felt as a foreigner all these years, I was never alone. So when asked what is so spe eial about Israel, I have a new an swer. What’s so beautiful about the Jewish state is not just its eul ture or its plaee in history, it is the Jewish morals that drive soeiety from the inside out. From the most seeular Israeli to the most re ligious, there was no Israeli who did not feel the heavy burden of every single person who died dur ing the military operation this summer. I ean think of no other eountry in the world where tens of thousands of people with no eon- neetion whatsoever to a young soldier from another eountry would show up to his funeral with heavy hearts and a true sense of appreeiation for this one human being. Israeli eulture values life, and the life of one matters to all, no matter who you are or who you know. The eonneetedness between Jewish people, and the support be tween us all, has made me more grateful than ever to be a Jewish Israeli Ameriean living in this world. 6- Luck doesn’t buy & sell homes... Experience does! 6t/vyuv^... SciLUvg... R.cio-(uifUvg... p'CopIC'itr iWC'JcvA-ife- Ann/Lccn.gmav[/ 70^-367-72W avwv. IcwgmcMv&atcmcUb. com SPEOAUZiNG fN: IM DIVIDUAL: Health ■ Life ■ Medicare • Djseb]rity ■ LTC Insurance GROUP: Medial ■ Ufe • Dental ■ Vision • Disability • 401 k Plans CONTACT U5 WiTH YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT OBAMACARE & MEDICARE “Provtdifig the fowest-prioed plans >vrd) outstanding sendee since 1974.‘ Keith Greenspon - Licensed Broker/Advisor (704) 376.7434 • GREENSPON.COM JEWISH^ FEDERATION $ OF GREATER CHARLOTTE THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE, THE POWER OF COMMUNITY. i OF GREATER CHARLOTTE Join us on December 11 as we present our new look.
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