Report from Israel: Brothers and Sisters for Israel

By Martin Kessel

I am sure that all of you are closely following the news from Israel. Each day brings us closer to the possibility of an expected IDF ground incursion into Gaza to eliminate Hamas from ever again being able to perpetrate the atrocities it carried out. This major IDF military offensive will be precise and slow to both ensure the safety of Israeli soldiers and minimize civilian casualties. 

The operation will take weeks and maybe months to achieve its goal. First and foremost, on the minds of everyone are the 222 hostages being held by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. We pray for their safe return following the faint glimmer of hope after the release of the American mother and daughter.

In this brief report, I will tell you about an amazing volunteer organization that sprang into action almost immediately following news of the horrific massacre that took place at several Gaza Envelope kibbutzim and moshavim in the early morning of October 7 - Shabbat Simchat Torah.

For the past nine months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting weekly against the “judicial reform” proposed by the Netanyahu government.  One of the organizations that emerged was Brothers and Sisters in Arms drawn from volunteers of ex-IDF officers and soldiers, high-tech entrepreneurs, academics, and many others from all walks of Israeli life.  They are credited with turning these spontaneous protests into a highly efficient, well-oiled machine.  

Once the extent of the unspeakable tragedy on October 7 became known, Brothers and Sisters in Arms – which now became the Brothers and Sisters for Israel, within hours swung into action. In the absence of the IDF, which was caught totally unprepared for the Hamas onslaught, Brothers and Sisters provided immediate civilian support by organizing hundreds of volunteers coming to the scenes of the tragedy. They were even able to respond to distress calls from people trapped in their homes while Hamas rampaged. 

In the 17 days since October 7,,  Brothers and Sisters have succeeded in filling the the void of over 1,500 Israeli citizens who were brutally murdered, the wounding of many more thousands, and the call-up to active duty of the 300,000 reservists.

The Brothers and Sisters now number 15,000 volunteers. They tend, among other essential tasks, to the Israeli agricultural farms in the Gaza Envelope in need of extra hands to milk the cows and tend the crops. They also support bereaved family members. They have been instrumental, using high-tech image recognition algorithms in helping to identify people who have been taken hostage. Brothers and Sisters, together with many other volunteer organizations, have also helped in the major national effort to temporarily relocate the 200,000 people displaced by the war, so they can be out of harms way.

This outpouring of volunteer support, available so quickly, represents the true Israeli spirit of Am Yisrael Chai (The People of Israel are Alive).

Please read more about Brothers and Sisters for Israel in the article from the Times of Israel here.

Martin

22 October 2023

Martin Kessel is a vice president of BHC and an Israeli citizen with many members of his family living in Israel, some of whom have been called to active duty.