COLUMBUS, Ohio — Alex Weisler, a board member for Jewish Columbus, spent the last week in Israel.
Weisler, who also works for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, said when the war started a little over a month ago, he had a feeling he would be going to Israel to share peoples stories and offer them support through his organization.
“It’s a great privilege to feel the anxiety of being there for a week when the people I’m talking to this is their daily context,” he said.
Weisler traveled all around Israel from Jerusalem, to Tel-Aviv and even close to the Gaza border. While he was there, his organization was able to set up schools for over 2,500 kids at an evacuee center.
“We worked to establish an educational framework from pre-K to elementary school to high school for these kids,” said Weisler. “We had tents outside set up with children’s books, toys, costumes and dress up,” he said.
Weisler said they wanted to make the kids feel a little normalcy during an unimaginable situation.
He also spent time with a disabled woman who has been stuck at home since the war started.
“She has been trapped at home for over a month now because she doesn’t know what would happen if the siren went off when she was wheeling to work and the nearest bomb shelter was up a few steps, or down a few stairs."
Weisler said hearing peoples stories was inspiring. He learned that people are feeling united and showing great strength during a difficult time.
“Yes this is a war, yes people are living through the unimaginable, but they are finding strength in each other. They are finding strength in their tradition and in their communities."
He said the trip made him hug his family a little tighter, and not take his safety for granted.
“As I come back to Columbus that is what I’m holding onto this sense of global Jewish connection of feeling like we are all in this together,” said Weisler.