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Houston Continues to Support Israel
We recently returned from our CommUNITY Journey to Israel where more than 40 members of our Houston Jewish community shared a transformative week together. Arriving in Israel at this time showed Israelis coming up for air, and yet still in the in-between. The experience of being there was powerful and deeply moving. Throughout our visit, we shared in the pain, resilience, and hope of Israelis navigating the realities of the past two years.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jennifer and Neil Wizel, our trip chairs, and to Federation lead staff member Hilary Kamin for organizing this meaningful journey. We wanted to share a glimpse of what we experienced and how your support continues to make a difference in Israel.
The trip was unlike any other. Traveling together – diverse in age, background, and perspective – we were united by our purpose and pride in how our Houston community continues to make a difference.
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Through the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, in partnership with the Houston Jewish Community Foundation, we have raised more than $20 million as part of what is now named the Rebuild Israel Fund.
This fund has had two vital phases: the Emergency Fund (October 2023–November 2024) and the Response Fund (December 2024–present). Much of our time in Israel was spent seeing how our collective giving has transformed lives.
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Meaningful Interactions
One of the highlights was a private conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at his presidential home, who spoke about the strength of our community and his vision for a nation that listens across divides. He was so grateful for the support that our Houston community has shown Israel. His words about unity and perseverance will stay with us long after our return home.
| | Houston Delegation with President of Israel Issac Herzog | | |
At the beginning of our trip, we were also unexpectedly able to visit with recently released hostage Yair Horn who happened to be meeting with American representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff nearby. Yair graciously met with us and spoke briefly. He showed courage and reflected on the deep interconnectedness of our people and how much it meant to him. It was deeply emotional and encouraging.
Yair’s father visited with us on Houston’s Solidarity Mission in February of 2024, so it was almost beyond words to see Yair, whose plight we were so familiar with – there in person. To now embrace Yair, free and home, was indescribable.
| | Yair Horn addresses the Houston delegation | | |
Bearing Witness
Nothing can prepare you for standing in the places where so much heartbreak has unfolded.
Kibbutz Nir Oz was an intense visit for the group. When we arrived, they had just finished the funerals for two hostages who had been murdered by Hamas.
One-quarter of the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz were murdered or kidnapped on October 7th. Despite unimaginable loss, the community has vowed to rebuild. We are proud to be part of that renewal through a $650,000 contribution to Regrow Israel, which funded new tractors to help restore the kibbutz’s agriculture, an act of rebuilding both soil and spirit.
Later we stood at the Nova music festival site, among hundreds of photographs, flowers, and flags placed by the loved ones of the 360 young people murdered there. With our Houston clergy, we prayed, reflected, and laid a wreath at the memorial. It was one of the most painful and sacred moments of the trip and a reminder that remembering is itself an act of resilience.
| | A field of poppies at the Nova Music Festival site | | |
Continuing to Help
In addition to helping Israel physically rebuild, we are also helping Israelis restore their mental strength. A significant focus of our support remains on mental health and trauma recovery, including a partnership with the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC). Participants visited one ITC center and heard firsthand from the counselors about the consistent need for mental health support in this ongoing war.
| | Federation participants with students in Israel | Chairs Jennifer and Neil Wizel on a site visit | | |
We also spent time at a school in Kiryat Gat that houses a Jewish Agency for Israel Youth Futures program which ensures youth and families at-risk have wrap around services to face their challenges and empowering them to survive. Every conversation further emphasized that each and every Israeli has their own story of trauma and survival. It is a stark reminder of how crucial this ongoing care is as Israelis strive to heal and move forward.
Another stop was at Yad B’Yad, Hand in Hand,a Federation-funded network of schools, to learn how they are building bridges between Israeli Jews and Arabs and teaching children to learn about each other’s religions, culture, and language from a young age.
Some of the most inspiring stories came from small business owners. During a culinary tour of Sderot (by a participant of the Kolot Restart Leadership program in the Gaza envelope that the Federation supported), we met and learned how business owners are carrying on during such uncertain times.
We were particularly moved by a Druze furniture maker in the North, an IDF reservist who employs more than 25 people. While deployed in Lebanon, he saw an announcement on his phone for the Jewish Federations Israel Emergency Loan Fund. With the help of a loan officer who guided him through the process while he was still serving, he was able to save his business. Today, his workshop is open, his employees are working, and his story is one of thousands that show how your generosity helps Israelis move from survival to renewal.
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Community and Faith
This journey was also spiritual. With four Houston clergy – representing Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform denominations - traveling beside us, we were reminded that faith and community are inseparable. Together, we celebrated Shabbat at the Kotel at twilight, a moment of pure unity and reflection. Standing there, we felt the full meaning of what it is to be one Jewish people, carrying each other’s pain and hope.
The group itself was a microcosm of our Houston community—participants spanning five decades in age, from long-time Federation leaders to first-time travelers to Israel. We laughed, cried, shared stories, and broke bread together. By week’s end, we had formed bonds of friendship and shared purpose that will last far beyond this trip.
| CommUNITY Journey participants with a tractor provided to Kibbutz Nir Oz through an allocation from the Rebuild Israel Fund | | |
Carrying Israel Home
Our tradition teaches, “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh”—all of Israel is responsible for one another. The people we met live that truth every day, they are not only rebuilding homes and lives, but hope itself. All who participated were touched by this experience, and we thank them for joining us. As we return to Houston, we will carry with us the strength and determination of the Jewish people, and we renew our own commitment to stand with Israel, not just in words, but in action.
May we continue to be partners in the sacred work of healing and rebuilding, together.
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Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai,
Rob Shoss
Board Chair
Renée Wizig-Barrios
President & CEO
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Houston Community Journey to Israel is generously supported by
the Velva G. and H. Fred Levine Israel Community Mission Fund.
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