On a visit to the north of Israel back in April, I had the honor of meeting Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community. The walls of the Sheikh’s office are adorned with photographs of him and his grandfather (who held the role before him) proudly standing with each of Israel’s prime ministers, going all the way back to David Ben-Gurion.

That’s the patriotism of the Druze, this tiny ethnoreligious community whose members have long served in the IDF with fierce loyalty.

Along the same lines, I’ve previously written about my meeting with Basma — a Druze woman, restaurateur, and IDF widow — who, in the aftermath of October 7, obtained kosher certification for her business so that all the soldiers in her son’s army unit could enjoy her donated cuisine. Each food package she prepares bears a sticker with the words Yachad N’natzeach, "Together We Will Win."

The Druze community has stood with Israel, and we stand with them, sharing in the overwhelming grief of 12 children brutally killed on a soccer field by a Hezbollah rocket last Saturday. Two hundred more people were injured, 40 severely. Many others witnessed the grim aftermath of the attack. In this tight-knit community, no one is untouched by the tragedy.

Adding another layer of heartache: Until the attack, the soccer field compound, which also includes a park and playground, had been a singular oasis for Druze children and teens during these highly challenging 10 months of war. That haven is no more.

On Wednesday, Itzik Shmuli, head of our Israel office, traveled to Majdal Shams on behalf of UJA to offer our condolences and identify acute needs that will inform our next round of grant-making.

Well before the attack, we’d already allocated over $3 million to meet a variety of medical and trauma-related needs specific to the Druze and Arab-speaking communities in the north, including funds to support the creation of an emergency field hospital. The need was clear, with the closest hospital an hour away in the best of circumstances, and inaccessible for several hours in an emergency security situation. Another grant supported Mashabim, a long-established organization that treats trauma and fosters resilience.

On the day of the attack, the field hospital saved lives, with many of the injured brought there to receive stabilizing treatment before being evacuated to other hospitals. And Mashabim has been running a trauma center in Majdal Shams since Saturday to help distraught residents, mostly kids.

Beyond the Druze community, we’ve been one of the largest philanthropic funders in the north since October 7, allocating over $25 million to meet critical needs — from supporting the more than 80,000 who’ve been displaced from their homes; to helping provide lifesaving equipment to fight the fires that have resulted from Hezbollah’s attacks; to helping construct a new rehabilitation center that will treat thousands of injured living in the north.

While the south has understandably garnered much of the public focus until now, life in the north has also been completely upended. Indeed, the government recently announced that 16,000 students in northern Israel will not begin the coming school year in their hometowns, disrupting classes for a second straight year and leading local mayors to worry whether many residents would ever return to their communities.

Meanwhile, all of Israel is now on high alert, following threats from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Major U.S. and foreign airlines have once again discontinued service to and from Israel. Many Israelis are staying close to home.

We don’t know what the next days will bring or what will be required of us. But the extraordinary support for the people of Israel that’s defined our New York community from the very first hours of the war must continue on day 301 — and well beyond.

The stakes couldn't be higher, for all of us. The continuing dramatic rise of antisemitism across the globe only reinforces the uncompromising need for a strong and vibrant Jewish homeland that will always welcome and protect us.

As the sun sets on this tumultuous week, we pray for the return of the hostages, and a quiet Shabbat across Israel and for Jewish people everywhere.

Shabbat shalom