Showing up

There are so many reasons to love being Jewish, but nothing makes me prouder than this one: When people need help, the Jewish people show up.

There’s even a Hebrew word for it–“Hineni”–which translates to “Here am I!”

In the Torah, Moses proclaims “Hineni” to God, expressing his readiness to do whatever God asks of him. “Hineni” signals an unequivocal readiness to show up in a profound way.

On Feb. 6, a devastating earthquake–measuring a staggering 7.8 in magnitude–struck Turkey and Syria, claiming the lives of more than 35,000 people (at press time), wielding catastrophic damage and destruction in large swaths of the region, and sending tremors as far as Lebanon and Israel.

When I heard the news, my heart ached for the victims. Yet one thought comforted me–I knew we as Jews would be there to help. Our long history of hate and persecution has taught us that when people need us, we show up.

Sure enough, in the wake of the devastation, we’re showing up. In the weeks since the disaster hit, JUF–through the Jewish Federations of North America and our partners on the ground–has supplied humanitarian aid and bolstered recovery efforts.

As always, our brothers and sisters in Israel are showing up, too.

Two days after the quake jolted the region, a joint delegation of Israel’s army and health ministry-consisting of more than 200 soldiers and hundreds of tons of aid–boarded 15 planes to Turkey. The team was among the first to arrive on the ground and set up a field hospital. Israeli aid teams have also dispatched help in the form of medical, psycho-trauma, crisis response, and search and rescue units.

The Israel Defense Forces’ assistance to other countries in times of crisis dates way back. This latest mission marks the IDF’s 31st such mission over the course of 40 years.

Israel takes seriously the Jewish commandment to “not stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor”–in this case literally its neighbors–even when its neighbor is its foe.

Despite its tumultuous relationship with Turkey, and the fact that the two countries only normalized ties last year, Israel is showing up.

And even though Israel considers Syria a hostile state and the two countries don’t share diplomatic relations, Israel is showing up, providing relief to the Syrian people. But helping Syria is nothing new. Over the last decade, during Syria’s bloody civil war that still rages today, Israel once again put politics aside and launched a massive humanitarian operation to aid Syrian civilians.

The responsibility to help people, no matter who they are, is actually baked right into the IDF Medical Corps Oath, which mandates that a soldier must lend a hand to the sick and wounded–whether friend or foe–regardless of the patient’s identity or nationality.

In times of crisis, Israel declares “Hineni,” prioritizing human need and relegating geopolitics to the back burner.

That humanitarian obligation was reinforced at a virtual press conference I attended, led by the Israeli ambassador to Turkey, two days after the earthquake hit. “Israel is willing to offer help to anyone in need,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Halat. “This is not political, this is Jewish…this is exactly what tikkun olam stands for.”

His words instilled me with hope, as does the name of Israel’s disaster response effort–Operation Olive Branches.

To donate to earthquake relief, visit juf.org/jfnaearthquake.