“Ein milim”— There are no words. That’s the refrain I’ve heard over and again from Israelis these last 36 hours.

I've been in Israel for the last week, here to celebrate the Sukkot holiday with family. It’s always a beautiful time of year to be in Israel, and the first week couldn't have been more idyllic. But that changed dramatically at about 7:45 am yesterday when my cell phone rang with a call from my younger son, a lawyer serving in the IDF.

The fact that my son was calling was itself alarming; I always keep my phone on in case of emergencies, but as a Modern Orthodox Jew, I'd never received a call from my son on Shabbat or a holiday. He was calling to let me know there'd been an unprecedented, massive infiltration of Palestinian terrorists into southern border communities, coupled with a barrage of rockets from Gaza, and that he’d been ordered back from the holiday to military headquarters.

My wife and I decided to attend a nearby synagogue for Simchat Torah services. But how does one celebrate Simchat Torah — typically one of our most joyous holidays, which marks the completion of the annual Torah cycle — in the middle of an unfathomable crisis?

Our prayer service was interrupted seven times by rocket attack sirens, sending us and the other congregants quickly to the nearby bomb shelter. Older worshippers navigated the steps with difficulty. And we all heard the boom of the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepting the incoming rocket fire. But in each instance, following the all-clear, the service resumed.

For many, the highlight of the Simchat Torah service is reading the concluding paragraphs of the Torah, at which point the tradition is for the entire congregation to say in unison: 

“Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek” — “Be strong, be strong, let us strengthen one another.”

The words resonated particularly powerfully this time, as the horrific and barbaric events of the day became more widely known. We also prayed with intense emotion for the safety of the Israeli soldiers — many of them the children and grandchildren of congregants, called up that morning to combat units.

The scale of need right now is enormous and growing rapidly, and UJA’s partners are on the front lines. The Jewish Agency for Israel is distributing emergency funding from its Victims of Terror Fund to help hundreds of families deal with immediate needs. They are also supporting the relocation of communities close to the Gaza border, supporting lone soldiers, and caring for new olim, including Ukrainians and Ethiopians. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is providing services for the elderly, Holocaust survivors, people with disabilities, and children at risk.

Another longtime partner, the Israel Trauma Coalition, reports that because of the large number of casualties, they are now training social workers to be the ones to deliver tragic news. They are also training therapists on how to work with the newly orphaned. They speak of a “tsunami of need.”

The growing death toll, the taking of civilian hostages — it is all almost unbearable. In a country so small, everyone knows someone, everyone is impacted. I think about communities in the south, close to the Gaza border, who bore the brunt of the assaults. I’ve visited them on multiple occasions. Many are descendants of pioneers who settled in 1948, and for years they’ve dealt with rocket attacks. I’ve always been moved by their determination to stay in their homes, despite the threat. Now this. While it’s difficult to comprehend how they will heal, they will not be alone.

As an immediate first step, UJA’s Executive Committee voted yesterday to allocate $10 million from our endowment (with final board approval tomorrow), which will allow us to help victims of terror with emergency needs and bolster the lifesaving work of our partners. We have also opened an Israel Emergency Fund for our community to help support the extraordinary needs ahead. I’m planning to stay in Israel for the next few days to meet with our partners in the field and to gain a better understanding of the still-developing situation.

What is clear now: Much more will be required and much more will be allocated in the days and weeks ahead. To our donors whose generosity enabled our ability to act immediately, and to those who are giving even more now: Thank you.  

Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek.  

Eric