A Community United – shattering the glass ceiling!

I can still hear the joyous singing of the 17 Golani reservists who spent this past week in our Upper West Side community as part of the Peace of Mind (POM) program. This unique program helps IDF reservists process the harsh experiences of their military service by providing a safe space and the time to discuss their shared combat experiences, within the warm embrace of a supportive and caring Diaspora Jewish community. The distance from Israel, family, and work obligations is crucial to the therapeutic process.

I have had the privilege of working with the incredible POM organization five times before. Each time, the experience has been powerful and inspiring! Yet this past week was unique in a profoundly important way—it shattered the glass ceiling of community unity.

For the first time ever, a fully dati (religiously observant) Golani unit participated in the POM program. In previous years, the  IDF units were predominantly secular Israeli veterans, with just a few observant individuals. This group, however, was different. Sponsored by the Ultra-Orthodox Shtiebel of Boyan Hasidism, they gathered daily in the welcoming space of the Modern Orthodox Carlebach Shul. Two distinctly different shul communities that rarely overlapped came together to provide therapy and healing for our soldiers.

Accompanying the unit were two therapists from Israel: one dati (observant) and one secular, bridging the gap between the two worlds. Together they cultivated a dynamic of unity and mutual respect, which is especially meaningful in an era of disunity and increasing polarization.

Just like the secular groups before them, this dati unit was surprised and deeply moved to discover how profoundly our Diaspora community is connected to the daily events unfolding in Israel. Throughout the week, we tried to convey to them how much the IDF and the State of Israel mean to us. We explained that by safeguarding Israel, they are not just defending the Jewish homeland but also protecting our freedom to live as Jews—both here and across the globe.

Still, they couldn’t stop thanking us for our hospitality, and in turn, we couldn’t stop expressing our gratitude for their military service and everything they do for Am Yisrael. These young fathers, aged 39-41, each with four to seven children, have spent most of the past year—between 150 to 200 days—serving in Gaza and Lebanon. So, truly, who should be thanking whom?

At our Goodbye Party’s closing circle, we each shared a word that captured the essence of the week. Words like “family,” “home,” “connection,” “hope,” “love,” “chizuk”, and “ruach” filled the room. Over the course of one week, we became family, and now, we miss them in the same way we miss our children when they leave.

The unity and solidarity between our communities felt like a glimpse of what our Jewish world could be—like a taste of the world to come.