The other day, I met with a group of 30 women from Great Neck, NY, who had come to show their support for Israel and to contribute to our country. In November they had participated in the rally of 300,000 people in Washington, DC and had discussed on the bus ride home how they could do more. One of the women said that they needed to go to Israel. And so they organized this mission, calling it, “One Mitzvah leads to Another Mitzvah.”
I’ve already met with many missions to Israel, but this is the first time that I’ve met with people from the Mashadi Community (now living in the US), a Persian Jewish community that has a history of sacrifice for their Judaism. Their story is amazing, but not very well-known. We spoke about their ancestors in Iran who insisted on observing Mitzvot even though this was against the law and who were subjected to harassment because of their Judaism. Those brave and committed generations of Iranian Jews can give us strength and inspiration during these difficult days.
We discussed how each one of them has now become an ambassador for Israel. In the United States, they will need to grapple with antisemitism and ignorance. Whoever came here and saw the devastation at Kibbutz Be’eri, the rehabilitation department at Sheba Hospital, the families of the hostages, the solidarity and spirit that suffuse our country-—she is a witness. And she is also charged with the mission of reporting back what she saw in the most accurate and powerful way.
