Newsletter Givat Haviva, October 2023

We at Givat Haviva, like everyone, are in shock from the levels of suffering, pain, and violence that have erupted in the past 2-1/2 weeks. The killing and the murdering at the kibbutzim and in the towns in Otef Gaza, the so-called Gaza Envelope area, the horrors of the attack and the taking of hostages haunt and will continue to haunt the people living in this land for years to come. It seems as though, in a moment, the entire region became tormented with existential anxieties that only two weeks ago, were beyond their wildest imagination.

Together with the insufferable anxiety and loss, it is important for me to call your attention to the emergence of other human traits – compassion, demonstrations of responsibility, and coping. Givat Haviva now faces two major tasks. The first is to help, to the extent possible, civilians and families from the south who were compelled to leave their homes after the most ruthless experiences one can imagine. The second is to do everything in our power to maintain the calm internally in Israel – to protect the rights of all citizens of Israel, and to protect proper relations between Jews and Arabs within the State of Israel.