To the Bronfman Fellowship Israeli Community...

Dear Bogrim,

We are thinking of you. We are thinking about the members of our Bronfman community who are experiencing daily sirens and running to take cover in bomb shelters. We are thinking about the members of our Bronfman community who are in Gaza right now, fighting to preserve the safety of our Jewish homeland. We are thinking about one member of our community from 2005 whose home in Ashkelon was hit by a rocket. And we are thinking, and praying, for another member of our community from 2008 who is in intensive care undergoing surgeries after being injured during Operation Protective Edge.

Most of us don't know what it's like to live in an area that is threatened by a hostile neighbor. We don't know what it is like to put our lives in danger in defense of our values, our homeland, and our friends and family. But we are part of a community that is living this reality, and we draw upon our connection having lived in Israel for at least a summer when we were seventeen. We are profoundly affected by what is going on and want you to know that we love you, support you, and are thinking of you, everyday.

Next week, I land in Tel Aviv to join the final week of the summer BYFI program and to connect with as many of you as possible. Though this trip was planned months ago, I believe that my visit at this time is more important than ever. After Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for civil rights in the United States, he said "My feet were praying." So too are my feet praying as I make this journey to be with you.

B'shalom v'ahavah,

Danny Greene
BYFI 2000
President, BYFI North American Alumni Board