As my family returns to Israel, I carry immense gratitude
Three years ago, my husband, Liran, our two daughters, and I arrived in Milwaukee to begin a journey as the shlichut family, sent by the Jewish Agency For Israel, to work within the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. We came to share Israel with this community. I expected to teach, facilitate conversations and build connections. What we did not expect was to live through a period that would profoundly reshape both Israel and the Jewish world.
When we arrived on August 2023, Israel was consumed by the debate over judicial reform. Many of the first conversations I had in Milwaukee centered on questions about democracy, identity, and the future of the Jewish state. I was struck by how deeply people cared. Even from thousands of miles away, Israel was not an abstract idea. It was personal. It mattered.
Then came Oct. 7.
That morning shattered assumptions for Israelis and Jews everywhere. As an Israeli living abroad, I experienced the strange reality of being physically safe while my heart remained firmly in Israel. Family members were called to reserve duty. Friends lost loved ones. Communities were devastated. My husband, Liran, traveled to Israel twice to serve in the military reserves and do his part. In those difficult days, Milwaukee embraced us.
I watched this community gather in grief and solidarity. I stood alongside people who attended vigils, wrote letters, raised funds, advocated for Israel, and simply showed up for one another. I witnessed generosity that went far beyond financial support. It was the generosity of presence—the willingness to share another person’s pain as if it were your own.
The months that followed brought new challenges. The war continued, divisions within Israel remained, and antisemitism rose at an alarming rate across North America. Many people shared fears they had never expected to experience in America. Yet amid those challenges, I also saw resilience. I saw community members choosing engagement instead of withdrawal, dialogue instead of silence, and Jewish pride instead of hesitation.
In December, Community Shlicha Noa Gerassi spoke at a Better Together program at the Friendship Circle Café, as part of a national commemoration project honoring Noya Dan, OMB, a 12-year-old found dead after the attacks of Oct. 7.
If there is one lesson Milwaukee has taught me, it is that belonging matters.
Throughout these three years, I met Jews from different generations, denominations, political views, and personal backgrounds. We did not always agree. Yet time and again, I saw people choose relationship over division. In a world that often rewards outrage and polarization, that is no small achievement.
The connection between Israel and Jewish communities around the world is sometimes described as a bridge. Before coming here, I understood that idea intellectually. Today, I understand it personally. A bridge is not built from shared opinions. It is built from shared responsibility. It is built when we celebrate together, mourn together, and remain connected even when the conversations are difficult.
As my family prepares to return to Israel, I carry immense gratitude. Milwaukee has welcomed us into homes, synagogues, schools, and hearts. It has given us friendships that will travel back across the ocean with us.
I also return with a renewed sense of responsibility. Israel continues to face profound challenges. The future of our liberal democracy, the healing of our social divisions, and the task of rebuilding after October 7 remain unfinished. My role as a shlicha may be ending, but the mission continues. I will continue working to strengthen Israeli society, drawing inspiration from the values I witnessed here: community, responsibility, resilience, and hope.
Thank you, Milwaukee, for reminding me that the Jewish story has never been written by individuals alone. It is written by communities that choose, again and again, to stand together.
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