'We have one holy land': Palm Beach women offer aid, support during Israel trip

Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News
·4 min read
22

Equally joyful and heartbreaking, a trip to Israel concluded last week for a group of women representing Palm Beach Synagogue.

As part of the congregation's first Women’s Israel Mission Dec. 24-29, 14 women offered emotional, financial and in-person support to those impacted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

Led by Dinie Scheiner, the director of the synagogue's Hebrew School and wife of Rabbi Moshe Scheiner, the trip included visits with wounded soldiers, bereaved families and the families of hostages being held by Hamas; delivering care packages to soldiers; volunteering with farmers on the Gaza border; and hosting barbecues for soldiers serving on the front lines of the conflict.

Related: Palm Beach religious leaders condemn Hamas attack against Israel

The women also visited the site of the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, where more than 350 people were killed during the Hamas attacks; and hosted children from the Israeli city of Sderot at the Magic Kaas indoor amusement park.

More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and thousands more were wounded in the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli officials said. Another 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas, and more than 100 remain under militant control.

Women's Israel Mission participants attended a challah bake for women who were evacuated from their homes in southern Israel and are living temporarily in the Talbiya neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Women's Israel Mission participants attended a challah bake for women who were evacuated from their homes in southern Israel and are living temporarily in the Talbiya neighborhood in Jerusalem.

"Our goal was to bring love, solidarity, inspiration, support, funds, hugs, gifts and in-person support primarily to the women, children and soldiers," Scheiner told the Daily News.

"This was our mission before the trip. Little did we realize that we would surpass our mission and our goals exponentially. The impact we made on every person we met was beyond what we could've imagined. The grateful sad smiles, the hugs and words of appreciation we received, was so heartfelt."

The Women's Israel Mission followed an October trip to Israel taken by a group of Palm Beach Synagogue rabbis.

Both trips included visits to the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel, which was attacked by Hamas militants Oct. 7 and remains under Israel Defense Forces control.

Participants in the Women's Israel Mission hosted a barbecue for a mostly female Israel Defense Forces unit that is stationed on the Egyptian border.
Participants in the Women's Israel Mission hosted a barbecue for a mostly female Israel Defense Forces unit that is stationed on the Egyptian border.

The women experienced a scary moment during their trip to Kfar Aza when a siren sounded, indicating a rocket attack was imminent. The women had less than 10 seconds to get to a bomb shelter, Scheiner said, and not everyone made it inside.

"Half of us ran to the shelter, and half did not make it in and laid on the ground with their hands over their heads to protect their vital organs, as we were instructed to do," she said. "As we ran, some were trampled on from the rush to make it into the shelter. It was chaotic for a few minutes.

"Once it was safe to get up and out, we realized that the shrapnel from the missile landed a foot away from where we were laying. It was truly a miracle that most of us made it into the shelter. I shudder to think otherwise."

The Kfar Aza visit was one of the most difficult parts of the trip, Scheiner said, as was attending the funeral of a 24-year-old Israeli soldier who left behind a pregnant wife and 10-month-old baby.

Palm Beach Synagogue closed its Women's Israel Mission with a trip to the Wailing Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage in Jerusalem that is sacred to the Jewish people.
Palm Beach Synagogue closed its Women's Israel Mission with a trip to the Wailing Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage in Jerusalem that is sacred to the Jewish people.

"Soldiers in Israel are very young or family men," she said. "They are not the kind of people that you think of when you hear 'soldier.' They are protecting the one land we have. We don’t have any options. We have one holy land. It’s sink or swim for them. They have no choice but to swim."

Other portions of the trip were far more uplifting, including a barbecue held on the Egyptian border for a mostly female IDF unit, and the bar mitzvah of Ori, an Israeli boy from the city of Ofakim who lost his father and older brother in the Hamas attacks.

Palm Beach Synagogue sponsored the bar mitzvah, which included customized party favors, a barbecue, dancing and a performance by Israeli singer-songwriter Ishay Ribo.

Dinie Scheiner (right), with her daughter Malka (left), pose with Gali Segal, who lost her right leg while hiding in a bomb shelter during the Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival Oct. 7. Segal's fiance, Ben Binyamin, also lost his right leg in the attack.
Dinie Scheiner (right), with her daughter Malka (left), pose with Gali Segal, who lost her right leg while hiding in a bomb shelter during the Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival Oct. 7. Segal's fiance, Ben Binyamin, also lost his right leg in the attack.

"Ori emotionally struggled going through with his bar mitzvah and told his mother he would not celebrate without his father," Scheiner said. "Our community, led by a bar mitzvah boy from our synagogue, Yoni Magin, who took this on as his bar mitzvah project, raised the funds to give Ori the bar mitzvah of his dreams."

The women concluded their trip with a visit to the Wailing Wall, a place of prayer and pilgrimage in Jerusalem that is sacred to the Jewish people.

"I'm proud for who we are and what we accomplished," trip participant Jane Shalem said. "We were working the entire time. We didn’t go to restaurants. We just kept doing the next task needed."

"I never fathomed I would gladly and enthusiastically raise my hand to fly into a war zone," added trip participant Gail Marks. "But The Women’s Mission gave me the opportunity to participate in something truly amazing, way bigger and more impactful than anything I had ever done before."

For those looking to contribute to relief efforts in Israel, donations are being accepted through Palm Beach Synagogue at https://www.charidy.com/pbswomen.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach women's trip to Israel both heartbreaking and uplifting