High school students raised $2,500 for Israel

On Oct. 6, Homestead High School Senior Adin Gendelman FaceTimed a friend from Israel while she danced in the streets — the very same streets that Hamas would occupy a mere 12 hours later. 

Gendelman is one of many in the Jewish community connected to those impacted by the events on Oct. 7. “I have many Jewish friends, and our community is pretty Jewish. Many of us know people in Israel we love and care about,” he said.  

But he felt surprised that outside of his Jewish community, many were not discussing the conflict. So, Gendelman and two of his close friends, Josh Goldberg and Eli Becker organized one of the first events for Israel in the North Shore. The event raised $2,500 for famiies in Israel, Gendelman said.  

The trio met with Rabbi Moshe Rapoport to discuss ways in which they could show their solidarity with those impacted. They settled on a candlelight vigil, modeled after a similar event at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, to remember and send thoughts and prayers to those affected by the Israel-Gaza conflict.  

The event took place a mere three days later, on the evening of Oct. 24 at Virmond Park. Despite the narrow window to promote the event, nearly 350 people attended, flooding the park with overwhelming support for Israel. Cars overflowed the parking lot, with many attendees needing to park on both sides of Lake Drive, far outside the entrance. People attended from from throughout the North Shore, Gendelman said.  

Gendelman welcomed the audience: “While we may come from diverse backgrounds and hold different perspectives, our collective wish is for an end to the suffering, the loss of life, and the pain experienced by innocent people in Israel and Gaza. We stand in solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones, the children who have known nothing but conflict, and all those who yearn for a more peaceful and stable future.” 

Gendelman, Goldberg and Becker, along with Rabbi Rapoport, then offered prayers for the men, women and children being held captive,  those in distress, and those injured.  

The event featured a Venmo account and Tzedekah boxes for donations, which raised over $2,500 for families in Sderot, Israel.  

 “Everybody’s been saying thank you to us, but we think everyone else deserves the thanks,”  Gendelman said. “Without the community, we would not have been able to put on this vision.”