By Leah Garber
“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.”
– “To Heal a Fractured World” by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
I love symbols. Perhaps it’s the romantic soul within me, the need to find harmony between what’s in the heart and its visual expression, or the desire to grasp tangible reality.
Yesterday, sitting in the exceptional JCC of Greater Baltimore, where the unique aesthetics of the building reflect the depth and richness of the activities within, I noticed the American and Israeli flags billowing in the winter wind just outside the entrance. A strange feeling overtook me as I realized that despite the difficulties, challenges, and dangers threatening to bring down the flags, they stood firm, stubbornly, against the stormy winds, waving proudly.
I had spent four days there, in the oldest JCC in North America, for Mifgash: Executive Leadership Forum, the annual gathering of North America’s senior professional leaders from JCCs and JCC Camps—learning and sharing with my JCC Movement colleagues. They reflect the diversity of North America’s Jewish communities, and it is precisely this multiculturalism and their breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and worldviews that strengthen our Jewish community.
We delved into the meaning and practical expression of Mifgash’s goals, and we discussed the challenges JCC executives face in maintaining steadfast communal support for Israel throughout the days of war and, hopefully, the peace to come.
We’re all going through a difficult time, and these professionals stand at the forefront—caught amidst opposing forces on all sides—leading courageously and engaging daily in efforts to illuminate our broad, common ground in the face of extreme antisemitism and uphold firm support of Israel and the Jewish people, all while promoting inclusive dialogue in which all, including those with differing views, can participate.
One word echoed throughout the program: “Tikvah” | “Hope.” We hold out hope for a better world; a secure and peaceful Israel; and the return of the hostages. Most of all, we hope for Jewish communities that stand together side by side, promote the timeless—and timely—value of Jewish peoplehood, and continue to be united and inspired by Israel, as a sovereign, Jewish, and democratic nation.
The conversations during Mifgash were profound and intellectual, coupled with practical, hands-on advice, and surrounded by emotional warmth and deep caring among and for the JCCs leaders gathered, for the communities they represent, and for the movement’s holistic potential for Jews in North America and around the world. Philanthropic leaders empowered us, JCC peers honored and bid farewell to longtime retiring executives, and as colleagues and friends, we bowed our heads in memory of two JCC leaders who passed away this year.
We expressed gratitude to Jennifer Mamlet, acting president and CEO of JCC Association, and eagerly welcomed Barak Hermann, CEO of the JCC of Greater Baltimore and newly selected as JCC Association’s incoming president and CEO, who will lead the organization into its new chapter. Above all, there was joy—in being together and, despite the challenges, in standing firmly side by side, committed to one another and the Jewish world. I am filled with hope that despite the differences within our movement’s more than 170 centers and camps and those that lead them, we are, in fact, more united than divided.
Reflecting on this Mifgash gathering, this encounter, as I travel home to Israel, my beloved country awaits me. Pained and scarred, today it again allowed itself to breathe deeply as Agam, Arbel, and Gadi were returned to their loving families and five Thai citizens—Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao, and Surasak Lamnao, innocent foreign citizens who intertwined their fate with ours—were released from the darkness of captivity after 482 days of hell on earth.
In this third wave of hostage releases, our eyes are once again misty at the moving scenes of first embraces with Aba and Ima, friends, and family members—especially coming on the heels of being paraded through the predatory crowds on the way to freedom. Light shines in their eyes, once again; hope peeks through once more, even as they reflect what they—and we—have endured. And amidst our joy, we shed tears of pain for those who will never return, those whose return is delayed, and those whose bloodthirsty murderers were released from prison today. May our tears of joy and pain germinate seeds of hope that since October 7 have been buried deep in the earth and find it so difficult to grow.
I return to Israel saddened by the tragic loss of life on the Potomac, but gladdened by the return of eight souls from captivity, and renewed by the mission of my work to connect North American JCCs and JCC Camps—their lay and professional leaders and their members—to the Israel I know and love, strengthening, supporting, and enhancing Jewish communities and the Jewish people in countless ways.
Together, united, we will overcome.
Leah Garber is a senior vice president of JCC Association of North America and director of its Center for Israel Engagement in Jerusalem.
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