Jews with Views – Tu BiShvat 5785
Which act of chesed during this war has touched you most deeply?
BY DR. DANNY LAMM AM
Based on personal experience, I cannot single out one act of chesed, but since October 7th and during several subsequent visits to Israel, we have witnessed tremendous acts of chesed by Am Yisrael both in Israel and the Diaspora for chayalim and their families. There has never been such a profound demonstration of כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲרֵבִים זֶה לָזֶה (all Israel is responsible for one another), with unprecedented mutual support for our nation during wartime.
Over 300,000 men and women spontaneously returned to Israel to volunteer their services to the IDF because they rejected the notion of “הַאֲחֵיכֶם יָבוֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְאַתֶּם תֵּשְׁבוּ פֹה” (shall your brothers go to war while you sit here).
Tremendous fundraising efforts, conducted both in Israel and the Diaspora, supported soldiers in the war effort, families of soldiers, and displaced citizens in countless ways, demonstrating extraordinary chesed.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Dr. Danny Lamm AM serves as the Deputy Chairman of World Mizrachi and President of Mizrachi Australia. His distinguished leadership roles include Past President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Immediate Past President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, and Past Vice President of the World Jewish Congress.
BY JO GROSE
During the chaos of October 7th, as IDF units gathered across Israel, Tel Aviv restaurateur Yotam “Dok” Doktor recognized an urgent need to feed troops. His team quickly prepared thousands of meals, only to discover that two-thirds of the intended recipients kept kosher, making much of their first delivery unusable.
Undeterred, Dok worked with the Tel Aviv Rabbinate to secure emergency kosher certification. His initiative sparked a movement: restaurants throughout Israeli cities obtained emergency certification, welcomed mashgichim, closed on Shabbat, and transformed their spaces into meal preparation centers for the IDF and displaced northern families.
This story resonates on three levels: Dok’s swift creativity and leadership in crisis, the practical role religious authorities played in emergency response, and most importantly, as a powerful demonstration of respect and achdut. It exemplifies how understanding others’ needs – whether in crisis or daily life – defines true leadership.
Jo Grose became Chief Executive of the United Synagogue in February 2023, having previously served as Director of Communities and Strategy, where she oversaw rabbinic recruitment, community development, and pandemic response. Her prior roles include leadership positions at PaJeS and PJ Library following a career in educational publishing. An active community member, she serves as a trustee of the Yavneh Foundation Trust.
BY TZACHI MEGNAGY
In the wake of the devastating Swords of Iron War, the sheer scale of loss is unimaginable. So many lives, so many names, so many stories – each one a universe. As the numbers grew, a haunting question emerged: how can we ensure that every precious soul is remembered, that none are forgotten in the endless tide of grief?
The “Kaddish for Every Soul” initiative was born from this moment of heartbreak – a project of love, led by Chesed Chaim V’Emet in partnership with Achim LaOref and World Mizrachi. Its mission is simple yet profound: to ensure that every person who fell during the war is honored through the ancient and sacred Jewish prayer of Kaddish.
For an entire year, day after day, individuals will rise to recite this prayer for each soul. This isn’t just an act of tradition – it’s an act of pure kindness. It’s a way of saying, “We see you. We remember you. You mattered.”
In a time of such darkness, this initiative is a light – a reminder that even in our deepest pain, we can come together to honor life and uphold the values of memory, unity, and love. No soul will be forgotten. This is our promise.
Tzachi Megnagy is Secretary General of World Bnei Akiva. A graduate of Mercaz HaRav and Har Hamor Yeshivot and Herzog Academic College of Education, he is a certified tour guide in Israel and for heritage journeys to Poland. Previously, he headed the Center for Jewish Heritage at Heichal Shlomo. Tzachi lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Tzila, and their five children.
BY TOVA LEVINE
There was, and still is, tremendous chesed being done in Israel and around the world for soldiers, the injured, grieving families, families of hostages, displaced families, and all those affected by the war. What stands out most in my mind is how non-kosher restaurants in Tel Aviv chose to make their food and facilities fully kosher, albeit temporarily, to prepare meals for soldiers and displaced families during the intense early days of the war here in Israel.
This act went beyond physical support – it demonstrated recognition that someone else’s values mattered more than their own. They wanted to care for people different from themselves, ensuring everyone could receive nourishing, home-cooked meals, even if that meant compromising their usual business practices and beliefs.
I believe this represents a step toward a world filled with achdut. It was inspiring to witness everyone rise above boundaries that had stood for many years. If we could carry forward even a fraction of what we experienced during that time, we would live in a more unified Israel and connected world.
Tova Levine serves as the Mizrachi-OU-JLIC Co-Director on Campus at the Technion and Haifa University in Haifa, Israel, alongside her husband, Rabbi Evan Levine. Previously, she served as assistant rebbetzin at Hale Shule during her shlichut in Hale, Manchester, UK. She holds an MSW from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and lives in Haifa near the Technion with her husband and four children.
BY RABBI MARTIN SKUDICKY
In the months following the outbreak of war, an extraordinary wave of chesed swept through Am Yisrael. While many rushed to serve on the frontlines or donate supplies, my most meaningful experience of chesed came through my wife’s initiative to prepare weekly meals for milu’im families.
These families – often mothers at home with children – faced the enormous challenge of maintaining daily life while their husbands and fathers served in the army. Everyone sought to play their part, and this became ours. Each week, I would return home only to be immediately dispatched, often with my oldest daughter Emunah, to deliver meals to nearby milu’im families.
The most remarkable aspect was the consistent response at each doorstep: genuine appreciation and warm smiles. The interaction would invariably follow the same pattern – an exhausted mother, often carrying one child while others played inside, would say, “Thank you so much, you guys are amazing, this is such a huge help.” To which I would respond, “Not at all, thank you so much, you guys are amazing!”
The verse in Tehillim 89:3 says “the world is built on kindness.” Indeed, we will rebuild with the kindness that defines our nation. May we continue to give to one another with love and, b’ezrat Hashem, see Hashem respond in kind with the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the ultimate redemption speedily in our days.
Rabbi Martin Skudicky serves as the Rav Shaliach of Bnei Akiva South Africa and teaches at Yeshiva College School. Recently returning to South Africa with his family, he brings inspiration from his studies in Israel, where he received semicha through the World Mizrachi Musmachim program. Rabbi Skudicky is passionate about Jewish education and community building.