This time last year on October 5, my husband and I were in Israel visiting our daughter who has lived there for the past 12 years. It was a lovely trip filled with quality time with her and her friends, and wonderful food and shopping. With full hearts, we left Israel that evening and flew to Amsterdam for a brief stint. After spending the next day walking through the city of Amsterdam, we turned in for the night and were awakened early in the morning of October 7 with a phone call from our daughter, who informed us that sirens had sounded in her area, and she was headed to a bomb shelter.
We went to the nearest coffee shop with our laptops, anxious to learn what we could from as many news sources as possible. We continued to stay in touch with our daughter throughout that day and finally, exhausted with worry, we decided to fly home. In our minds, there was no point in walking the streets of Amsterdam when Israel was in harm’s way.
As you can imagine, October 7th hit very close to home for me and my family. When I returned to work a few days later, I was informed that one of our staff members, who was born and raised in Israel, could not find his mother who was living on one of the southern kibbutzim that had been attacked. A few other staff members had loved ones in Israel as well. I immediately decided we needed to convene everyone in distress. JFCS is, at its core, a social service organization whose mission is to help those who are struggling mentally and emotionally. It seemed only natural to create a safe space and sense of community for our staff.
Our entire agency was invited, whether they had a loved one in Israel; and whether they needed comfort themselves or wished to offer comfort to others. This gathering was met with gratitude by some staff who felt strengthened by the community support. But it was also met with other feelings. This was the beginning of a new leadership journey for me, one that would continue over this past year and beyond.
As leaders, we are often called on to use our instincts, our authentic selves, and our unique skills to make important decisions. While creating an emotionally safe space was largely instinctual on my part and certainly authentic (since I was a staff member in need of support myself,) I was not focused on the array of perspectives that existed among my Jewish and non-Jewish colleagues regarding the war that had begun between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
A week later, several members of my staff reached out to me to share their feelings and asked for a forum to express those views. I quickly realized that clarification of our organization’s response to October 7th and what followed was critically important to communicate to our staff. With assistance from the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, it became clear that our role was in the space of emotional support. While we are a Jewish organization, there were many other agencies whose mission drove their need to make statements, raise money, send supplies to Israel, and more. Staying in our lane, doing what the community expects from us was (and still is) the best way to be of service in this crisis.
My leadership journey over the past year has required a lot of listening – mostly to staff regarding how they’re navigating these challenging times. In listening, it became clear that not everyone was on the same page regarding the conflict. That said, holding a safe space for all was critical…and that’s what we did.
By reflecting on our agency’s core values – the first being that we believe that every life is sacred – we were able to engage in conversations with staff who hold a variety of opinions. Staying close to what makes our organization care for our community with such integrity and compassion was a component of how we could all live together through this time.
Halfway through the year, I contracted with Penn Center for Restorative Justice to provide a safe forum for anyone who wanted to come together and share their thoughts about the Israel-Hamas war. For those who participated, it was well received. What I wanted our staff to know was that we value the ability to share our differences and work together.
As the year went on, I realized that I was living in two different spaces, professional and personal. Since the pandemic in 2020, the workplace has changed dramatically. Politics has entered our space, and we know much more about each other’s positions on so many aspects of the world. Navigating that as the leader of an organization is challenging, but it can also be very gratifying if one is clear about what their organization is, what they stand for, what is best left to other organizations, and, most importantly, where the opportunities are to grow together, respect differences, and understand cultures.
It is also important to embrace your organization’s history and identity. We are a Jewish organization, and while we are not the place to express political views on Israel, we are the place to hold space for staff to understand what antisemitism is and how it is affecting others emotionally. We are an organization that can comfort and support others in our community who have experienced this type – and many other – forms of hatred. As Jewish is in our name, we must always remember that we have been marginalized and we must support all those who are marginalized.
October 7th has taught me that while I must always bring my full self to my role as leader of JFCS, I must also adhere to rigorous professionalism that enables me to be open and accessible to all. October 7th is very personal to me, but my professional responsibility is to all members of my staff.