Mission-Critical
Pictured: Volunteers served at the Gvulot kibbutz in the Eshkol region.
Below: Pamela Spalter helps plant a tree in honor of Faiza Abu Sabieh, a victim of the Hamas attack.
By Emma Dixon
After the Hamas attack on October 7, the American Jewish community rushed to offer support, help, and love to Israel and its people. And here in Central Florida, the local chapter of JNF-USA was at the forefront of the relief efforts.
Local JNF volunteers regularly travel to Israel on mission trips but in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the missions took on new meaning. Here we catch up with several volunteers who offer a compelling insight into the help and support being given to Israel right now:
FIGHTING AGAINST FEAR
Attorney Pamela Spalter has lived in Central Florida for more than 18 years.
“My earliest memories as a child were of collecting tzedakah for JNF in small tin blue boxes,” she says. “I have multigenerational family involvement with the organization, but this trip to Israel was absolutely not easy for me.”
Pamela’s apprehension was only natural, but she knew that was just the emotion Hamas was trying to exploit.
“I think it’s a beautiful way for individuals to connect to the people and land of Israel during a time when Israel and our Brothers and sisters need us.”
“My discomfort and fear are what the Hamas terrorists and terrorist supporters wanted as a reaction – they want us to cower in fear and capitulate,” Pamela says. “Going to Israel was my first working volunteer mission with JNF-USA and my first time traveling internationally alone. I couldn’t live in fear and avoidance. I want my children and future generations to know that I faced my fear and did what was right when it mattered most to our family, to Israel, to Jewish people, and as a message to the civilized world.”
JNF volunteers helped tackle agricultural work at HaShomer HaChadash, packed supplies for care packages, toured one of the villages attacked on October 7, and visited Soroka Medical Center, Hostages Square, and the Western Wall. They also planted a tree in honor of those who were killed.
For Pamela, it was a deeply meaningful experience.
Debra and Bruce Hoffen picking oranges near the Gaza border moshav Talmei Bilu.
“I arrived in Israel to participate in a mission and left Israel having experienced something greater than words can attest or describe,” she says. “The Israeli people were so deeply grateful that we left the comfort of our communities to come to Israel and show unapologetic support and love for them. Every day, we received unsolicited expressions of gratitude, appreciation, and love. We shared hugs, tears, and genuine affection and respect for one another.”
A MATTER OF PRIDE
Debra and Bruce Hoffen returned from their JNF mission trip in January.
“Israel is our national homeland,” says Bruce. “It is filled with great people who are wonderful, optimistic, and will move forward with hope in the aftermath of October 7 to build a brighter future for Israel.”
The Hoffens met in Chicago and moved to Orlando in 1997, running a medical neurology practice together for more than 25 years. They both love being Jewish, and Debra previously lived in Israel, so the couple’s decision to take part in the Israeli mission was an easy one.
Like Pamela, the Hoffens picked crops not fully harvested after the attacks and prepared care packages for Israel Defense Forces soldiers.
“The trip gave us an opportunity to show solidarity with the people of Israel, meet and make new friends, and learn from this JNFled program,” Debra says.
Bruce Hoffen at Re’im, site of the Nova Festival Massacre.
Debra’s nephew, an IDF soldier, was seriously injured trying to repel Hamas at the Kfar Aza kibbutz, and he still remains hospitalized. So the mission for their family was also a personal one.
“We understand the painful sacrifices that were and are made every day to realize the dream of the rebirth of Israel,” says Debra. “But we are proud of our Jewish heritage and understand that Israel is central to our destiny as a people.”
Orlando’s Harrison Shames, senior campaign executive for JNF-USA, agrees with Pamela and the Hoffens about the importance of the mission trips.
“I think it’s a beautiful way for individuals to connect to the people and land of Israel during a time when Israel and our brothers and sisters need us,” he says. “Our volunteers tell me they truly learn Zionism and a love of Israel when they work the land, and this is a great opportunity. The feedback has been nothing short of spectacular.”
For more information about JNF, and to find out how you can join a future mission trip to Israel, please visit JNF.org.
This story was originally published in print in Spring 2024.