August 16, 2006 / 22 Av 5766

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, the day before the ceasefire, we traveled north. Our first destination was Rambam Hospital in Haifa where we arrived with the purpose of visiting the wounded new immigrant and lone soldiers recuperating from their injuries incurred in Lebanon. We went to support these brave young men and their families and moreover to offer our support and to extend the good wishes of World Jewry and Israeli society.

The group included Carole Solomon, Chairperson of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, Leonid Nevzlin, Donor and Board Member, Jewish Agency staff members and myself. We entered the hospital with the intention of offering strength and support to the wounded and left, ourselves empowered and moved by the depth of the dedication and devotion of these wonderful young people - many of whom are alone in the country - who returned from the war with a deepened allegiance to the State of Israel. We were awestruck by their commitment to their mission and belief in the justness of their actions. 

On behalf of you, we wish them a complete and speedy recovery. We will continue to stand beside them and provide any assistance necessary during their rehabilitation and return to daily life. On your behalf, we extend our sympathies to the grieving families who have lost their loved ones in this war, among them new immigrants and lone soldiers, individuals who gave their lives for the security and safety of the State of Israel.

Our next destination was a bomb shelter occupied by new immigrants at the absorption center in Karmiel. From there we traveled to Kiryat Shemona whereupon from the moment of our arrival until our departure hours later, the city was bombarded nonstop by Katuysha rockets, only a few hours before the ceasefire came into effect.

I wrote my first letter about a month ago and subsequently sent you another two. Looking back on the past month, I would like to share with you the sense of pride which fills my soul as I contemplate the work of the Jewish Agency at its best and shining moments. We are honored and privileged to stand beside the Government of Israel and the Jewish People to offer, on behalf of all, a helping hand to nearly every home and every family in the north.

You were the ones, who gave us strength and provided us with the opportunity to effectively fill the mission we took upon ourselves during this critical time.

Your extraordinary mobilization, one which will never be forgotten, and your steadfast position by our side exceeded all expectations or what we could have asked for at this time of crisis.

The words elude me to describe the love, devotion, involvement, caring, generosity and openheartedness we received from you.  There is no doubt that combined components enabled us to be a significant factor and presence in the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents in cities and towns throughout the north.

On this day, I can assure you that we are not resting on our laurels for an instant and our preparations for the "day after" are plowing ahead full force. I give you my word that we will continue, as we have done over the course of the past month, to stand by the residents of the north today and in the coming years. We will offer assistance loans to businesses, to help them attain renewed economic prosperity. We will help by offering student scholarships, by strengthening the residents of the towns in the north; investing resources in education; rebuilding of public facilities and cultural centers and assisting in the founding of new centers as a tool to encourage the development of community life in the north. With volunteers from the Jewish communities who will work within the cities and towns and will function as a bridge connecting them to the world Jewish communities, we will make a difference.

We will be there to ensure the restoration of normal life to the residents of the north and furthermore, we will be a driving force to raise the region towards the realization of goals and success in all aspects. We will be there on your behalf as your emissaries, representing the donors from Israel and throughout the global Jewish community. We will be your bridge, linking you to the developments and successes of Israeli society.

There is no doubt that the past month has demonstrated the vital importance of the Jewish Agency as a leader and relevant entity in Israeli society.  This is an organization which acts with vision, one that has exhibited an impressive operational capability as well as an incredible ability to implement. This organization is empowered by the indescribable dedication and devotion of all its employees.

This position which we have achieved in this month, is binding. To be the leaders, the vanguards, is not an easy task.  Therefore, I pledge, in name of the employees of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization, Amigour Company and the numerous Jewish Agency companies who have all worked hand in hand over the last month, we will not idly stand by, we will continue to push forward and excel in the future.  We will persist in our endeavors to improve our level of professionalism as well as quality of implementation and service. We will continue to raise our dedication to our mission and faith in our ability to lead operations which have the ability to affect and change the lives of the Jewish people and Israeli society. We will continue to be the source of pride for our donors, our leadership, our employees and their families, citizens of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Federations in the United States, to Keren Hayesod and the Israeli donors, who for the first time in the history of the Jewish Agency, expressed their faith in us and our work and contributed generously.

The trust we were privileged to receive from you, is the source of our strength and might, and moreover is our motivation to continue and march forward at full speed to face the challenges to our future. I am confident that through the commitment, faith, devotion and strength of the Jewish people and the State of Israel we will build a secure future for us all.

Yours,

Zeev Bielski