Out of the Depths, We Build

Friday April 10, 2026 – כ״ג נִיסָן תשפ”ו

I first met Lt. Col. David Benjamin when we were both in the army. I was accompanying him to a speaking engagement as a representative of the Army Spokesperson’s Unit. Despite being in uniform, we quickly discovered something deeper that connected us: we were both native English speakers—and both Reform Jews. Fast forward several years, and our shared path continued as we were both ordained through the Israeli Rabbinic Program of Hebrew Union College. Today, Rabbi Benjamin serves as the rabbi of the Reform congregation in Kiryat Ono, building a vibrant and growing kehillah with dedication and vision.

There are moments, however, when leadership is measured not only by what one builds in times of calm, but by how one responds in times of crisis.

This Pesach, Rabbi Benjamin was supposed to be in Durban, South Africa. Each year, he and his wife, Nancy, travel there to lead services and a community Seder for a partner congregation. This long-standing relationship is both spiritually meaningful and financially essential, providing critical support for his congregation back home. During Pesach, his own community leans on volunteers, allowing him to travel, strengthen global Jewish ties, and bring needed income back to Kiryat Ono.

But this year, the war changed everything.

The trip was canceled, and instead of traveling abroad, Rabbi Benjamin remained in Israel—serving his country through ongoing reserve duty, working 12-hour overnight shifts. And yet, even in exhaustion, when an unexpected need arose, he stepped forward once again.

Deep beneath Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Center, four floors underground in a reinforced shelter, a different kind of community gathered for Pesach. Approximately 130 people—families with young children, elderly residents, individuals unable to reach shelters quickly—have effectively taken up residence there since the war began. Some are sleeping in tents, unsure of when they could safely return to normal life.

They needed more than safety. They needed spirit. They needed a connection. They needed hope. 

After completing a night of reserve duty, Rabbi Benjamin volunteered to lead a community Seder in that underground space. Nancy and two of their children joined him, bringing warmth, song, and the joy of the holiday into a place defined by fear and uncertainty. Together, they transformed that shelter into a sacred space. They reminded everyone present that even in the narrowest of places, we can still tell the story of freedom.

This is the essence of the Israeli Reform Movement. They need our support now!

We show up—not only in synagogues, but wherever our people are. In shelters. In moments of fear. In spaces where holiness must be created, not assumed.

But alongside this powerful story of leadership is a quieter, more painful reality.

Just days ago, a young man from David’s congregation—a soldier in the Golani Brigade—was seriously injured in Lebanon. The anxiety and heartbreak ripple through the community.

At home, the toll is even more personal. Since the war began—with the relentless sirens and constant movement in and out of safe rooms— the emotional and physical strain is immense.

This is the unseen cost of war. The stories that are not counted. The quiet losses that unfold behind closed doors.

And still—Rabbi Benjamin shows up. Still, he leads and brings light into the deepest darkness.

This is why we turn to you now.

The Israeli Reform Movement is on the front lines of spiritual resilience. Our rabbis and communities are sustaining Israeli society in ways that cannot always be obviously measured—but are nonetheless profoundly felt. They create meaning, offer comfort, and hold people together in moments when everything else feels uncertain. Rabbis are continuing to serve their communities while navigating reserve duty, lost income, and real pressures at home.

But they cannot do it alone.

We are asking for your support to help meet this moment. Emergency funds will allow us to assist congregations that have lost key revenue, provide support to rabbis and families under strain, and ensure that communities like Kiryat Ono can continue to function and serve others.

Our Movement needs over $1.5 million right now, and your contribution will help sustain the people holding their communities together under difficult, unpredictable conditions.

Thank you for being part of that effort.