Know this: We are witnesses, and we will never forget. There is no door in the world on which your beloved family did not knock for you, for your rescue and well-being. There is no stone they left unturned, no prayer or plea they did not cry out – from one end of the world to the other – in the ears of God and man. – Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
Hersh, we failed you. We all failed you. You would not have failed you…Maybe your death is the stone, the fuel, that will bring home the 101 other hostages.
– Jon Polin, Father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l
Dear Friends,
The American Jewish community is the strongest diasporic Jewish community in all of history. But in this moment, we feel helpless in the face of overwhelming tragedy. Trauma, pain, grief, and outrage unfolding day after day for countless innocent Israelis and Palestinians.
We now enter the month of Elul, when we say “the King is in the field” as we spiritually prepare ourselves for the days of awe drawing near: Rosh Hashanah – the New Year, the call of the shofarot, and Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. In just a few weeks, we face a great reckoning between G!d and humanity—and these preparatory days of Elul are already as solemn and desperate as ever before.
We are called to repent, now. We do not wait for the new year; we add extra prayers of repentance—selichot—every day this month, confronting our sins both individually and collectively, searching to find the will and wisdom to chart a different path forward. Teshuvah (returning) is deeply challenging work. It is holy service: avodah. When it is real, it is often transformative: personal and communal, spiritual and emotional, embodied and real. But amidst this calamity? Where do we turn now? And how can we hope to transform our lives and our trajectory, facing such utter tragedy?
I do not have answers. But I do know this: we are not helpless. Each of us, all of us, our choices do matter, and we can do something. We must.
So in this spirit, we are proud to announce our January 2025 Adamah Israel Leadership Mission.
This trip builds upon the relationships and lessons learned during our Israel Farm Volunteering trips earlier this year in March and April. Now, with gratitude to our supporters, we aim to catalyze culture change on a broader scale by bringing a significant group of amazing leaders to Israel for one week immersed in a Peoplehood & Planethood experience. Our group will include Adamah constituents from across the country, community members and leaders, Adamah staff and volunteers, partners, and allies—and together we will connect with Israeli leaders in the fields of environmental education, youth empowerment, green business, climate action, and peacebuilding through environmental cooperation. We will volunteer, learn from Jewish and Palestinian environmentalist peacebuilders, meet Israeli climate tech leaders and climate justice activists, connect with our sister cities, and cultivate partnerships with some of the largest Israeli environmental organizations and Jewish peoplehood organizations in the world.
We do this because at Adamah, we believe in building bridges for the Jewish People from Israel and the Diaspora to create a more sustainable future together.
Click here to learn more and apply to join us.
Wherever you are this Elul, find a forest or a sunset. Go for a walk. Breathe. If ever there were a time for all of us to pray together with all our might, this is it. And somehow, may we find love, healing, joy, and hope. Community and belonging. Peace.
Chodesh Tov. The King is in the field. May we find our way there, together as one.
Acheinu kol beit Yisrael.
We are brothers and sisters, all the Jewish people.
Jakir Manela
Chief Executive Officer