Like many of my fellow colleagues at the Jewish Agency, I also have had the privilege to be involved in the ongoing efforts for the residents of the North. The unmediated encounters with various effects of the war – with people who left their homes with few belongings and without a moment to lose, and had no choice but to leave behind pets that were dear to their hearts and their children; crowded sleeping conditions; people whose loved ones were killed or wounded; as well as my own personal, immediate connection, my younger brother fighting in Lebanon – have all demonstrated to me, with greater clarity,  that Israeli society today is dealing anew with existential questions.

Israeli society is also dealing, in parallel, with social questions that have become increasingly amplified: the loyalties of Arab Knesset Members, the reliance of Israel's economy on the summer tourist industry, the survival difficulties of small businesses, especially in the North today. 

In spite of the difficult questions and conditions, Israeli society has emerged in full beauty: people have opened the doors of their homes to families of complete strangers (my friend welcomed a family of six that she did not know a day after she rose from shiva, and this is just one of numerous stories); people have set out on their own to the North to furnish shelters with supplies; teenagers have arrived at northern ghost towns to feed pets that were left behind when families had to run, and much more.

Yet these descriptions shouldn't leave the mistaken impression that life does not go on in areas not directly affected by the war: cafes in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are full, as are summer camps, water parks (I was barely able to arrange visits to those parks for children from the North) and other summer vacation spots. For people who aren't under the threat of rocket attacks, the connection to the war involves constant tuning in to media reports, and daily discussions at supermarket queues, water fountains, bus stations, and the workplace. With the ceasefire recently in place, I hope that the residents of the North, despite the pain, suffering and loss, will be able to return to as normal a life as possible.

Our main goal in offering this educational portal is to extend the public discourse in Israel to you – both through unmediated accounts in blogs, opinion articles and photos and through activities simulating the dilemmas facing Jews in Israel today. Thus, we hope, the discourse may be broadened to include as many Jews as possible.

B' tfila for good tidings,

Esti Moskovitz
Director of Education
NACIE