California Legislators Return From Solidarity Mission to Israel

Dear Friends,

I just returned from an incredibly powerful and heartbreaking four-day Solidarity Mission to Israel and the Gaza Border with California legislators. Leading the delegation were California Legislative Jewish Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, along with Senator Henry Stern and Assemblymembers Damon Connolly, Josh Lowenthal, Al Muratsuchi, and Esmeralda Soria.

Throughout the trip – a collaboration of JPAC, JCRC Bay Area, and Jewish Federation LA – lawmakers witnessed firsthand the consequences of the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th and their lasting effect on Israeli civil society. We visited impacted communities on the Gaza border and the surrounding areas, cried with families of hostages, and met with Israeli government officials, including President Isaac Herzog. You can read more about these powerful experiences below.

It was the most difficult few days I have ever spent in Israel, but I was struck by how this pain has manifested into a unity of purpose throughout Israeli society: a powerful determination to bring the hostages home, remove Hamas from power, provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, and push for a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. We return with a strengthened resolve to reject denialism and uplift the calls of our Israeli brothers and sisters.

We are deeply grateful to the seven lawmakers for making the time to travel with us to witness the devastation Hamas has inflicted on the country and help humanize all people impacted by this conflict. We look forward to working with them to share their experiences with both colleagues and constituents, and to redouble our efforts to counter rising antisemitism here in California.

- David Bocarsly

JPAC Executive Director

Solidarity Mission Recap

During our visit to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, resident Chen Kotler Abrahams walked our delegation through the wreckage where 63 people were murdered and 19 residents were taken hostage. The Kibbutz was not cleared of terrorists for two weeks, and many of the buildings and personal property remains utterly destroyed. The rest of the community remains largely displaced, unable to return until the threat of Hamas is removed from their border – just a mile away – and they have the chance to rebuild.

The vestiges left behind amidst the bullet holes and burnt buildings stood out to me: A surviving poster that read "Truly Love" and "Smile." A leftist Shalom Achshav/Peace Now activist flag. A Sukkah reminding us how this place was frozen in time on October 7th.

At the site of the Nova music festival, survivor Nehoray Levy shared his raw and emotional story of survival, grief, and remembrance. He showed us the makeshift memorials honoring of a few of his friends who weren’t so lucky, telling us of their character and zest for life. He lost ten of his friends that day. In total, 364 people who came to the desert to celebrate music, love, and peace were murdered.

In Tel Aviv, we visited Hostage Square and met with family members of hostages – one Jewish and one Bedouin – who shared their loved ones’ stories and constant yearning for their return. We also met with leaders of rape centers in Israel working with survivors of sexual violence. Over and over, people shared feelings of betrayal following the the global community's underwhelming and hypocritical response to such grotesque and intentional mass sexual violence.

We also visited Be’er Sheva to learn about the impact of October 7th on minority communities. Bedouin leaders from Desert Star shared their efforts to develop civic leadership among young people in their communities. And LGBTQ leaders at the Be’er Sheva Pride House, who serve many family members of survivors, shared the dramatic rise in counseling and therapy needs for community members since the attacks.

Finally, in Jerusalem, the first female Ethiopian Member of Knesset, Pnina Tamano-Shata, discussed her activism confronting women's groups who deny the mass sexual violence of Hamas. We met Palestinian journalist Rami Nazzal, who briefed us on the challenging experiences of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza since 10/7, and reminded us that coexistence is the only path forward. And we had a frank discussion with President Isaac Herzog, who thanked our Democratic lawmakers for standing up for Israel and against antisemitism.

It was a full and heavy four days, but each of the legislators were profoundly moved, and considered the experience to be life-changing. They stepped away from a very busy time in the legislature to show up for our community, and we are eternally grateful.

JPAC is the voice of California’s Jewish community to the State Capitol, and the largest single-state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation. We advocate in Sacramento on behalf of the Jewish community’s concerns and broadly shared values. Our member organizations collectively serve hundreds of thousands of Californians of all backgrounds and represent the interests of California’s 1.2 million Jews.