Ellen Braunstein
Community volunteer Cindy Smukler and her attorney husband Jeffrey Barrack have made multiple trips to Israel since Oct. 7 and have been astonished by what they’ve seen.
The couple — who will be honored on June 5 by the Kaiserman JCC for strengthening ties to Israel — visited Sderot along the Gaza border, which has been on the front lines against Hamas rockets for 20 years. The town was the first and largest city to be attacked by terrorists on Oct. 7. It was completely emptied after the war began.
The video image of the white Toyota truck loaded with terrorists speeding through the streets of Sderot will never be forgotten in Israel, Smukler said.
“Before that, we saw a regular, bustling city with a police station. The next time we went, there was no police station. There were homes that were destroyed and no one around.”
Following the massacre of men, women and entire families in the town, the population of 30,000 was evacuated.
“You see the horror of the horror. They killed everyone,” said Smukler, who cried often. “I couldn’t believe that this actually happened.”
Many don’t understand why Jews are living so close to Gaza, she said. “We do because we’ve been to the community many times, and it’s a wonderful, beautiful community,” Smukler said.
Destroyed in the attack, the Sderot Resilience Center needs to be rebuilt, she said. “The children need a lot of therapy.”
The couple knew Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi. At the beginning of November, they contacted him via Zoom.
“Do you need our help?” we asked. He said, ‘yes,’ and we got on a plane and had no idea of what we were doing, but we both felt the need to have our feet on the ground to see what was happening.”
Smukler and Barrack came to Sderot in bulletproof vests and helmets.
“We were really able to see for ourselves what happened,” she said. They saw the places where bodies were burned, and women were raped and murdered.
“I think that bearing witness and bringing back the information to keep people aware is really important,” she said.
They traveled to hotels that housed Israeli refugees. She and Barrack met with them and heard their stories.
“We really felt it was important to be there for the displaced people,” she said.
The mayor and Israeli Idol winner Hagit Yaso, also a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack, will speak at the JCC gala.
The JCC aims to play a role in catalyzing the next chapter of Jewish and Israeli programs “as we provide witness, solidarity and support to our partners in Sderot,” said Alan Scher, CEO of the Kaiserman JCC.
Smukler met with families of the hostages who were abducted on Oct. 7. She visited Sheba Medical Center, the largest in Israel, and is now in touch with severely injured soldiers.
“It was devastating. We think of our own children,” she said. She has a friend she met at a hostage forum, and they now speak once a week. His son went missing on his way to the Nova Festival that Hamas attacked.
“He hasn’t spoken to him since,” she said. “What do you say? I’m with you. I’m holding your hand.”
On July 2, Smukler will lead a JCC solidarity mission for women with children under 18.
“They must understand why it is crucial for their children in today’s environment to recognize the significance of Judaism and the state of Israel,” Smukler said.
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.