I’m from the North, and We’re Not Okay
Desperate residents from Israel’s north are in the U.S. to raise awareness about their region’s plight, fearing that decision-makers and the world have forgotten them.
“I want you to know that the north of Israel is not okay,” said student-turned-advocate Raz Malka during an emotional briefing at Ronald S. Lauder JNF House on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Malka and his delegation are in the United States as guests of Jewish National Fund-USA, which is leading efforts to raise awareness about the devastation in Israel’s north and its determination to “reimagine” the region’s future.
Following Hamas’ unprecedented terror attack on October 7, Hezbollah fired over 7,500 rockets, along with countless drones and anti-tank missiles, at Israeli towns and villages bordering Lebanon. In places like Metula and Kiryat Shmona, over 50% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Businesses are closed, jobs have vanished, and thousands of children are in educational limbo, not knowing when or where they’ll go to school.
On a recent visit to northern Israel, Jewish National Fund-USA CEO Russell F. Robinson expressed his dismay at the hopelessness felt by residents.
“No one is more upbeat about the people of Israel’s future than me,” exclaimed Robinson. “Yet my meeting with the mayors was honestly heartbreaking. These northern communities are not receiving the right kind of help—if any.”
Robinson met with 40 northern mayors and leaders. Druze, Muslims, Jews, and Christians sat around a table, sharing harrowing stories about skyrocketing substance abuse, divorce rates, and unemployment caused by Hezbollah’s relentless attacks. They also expressed their frustration at the inaction of decision-makers, which has only exacerbated their predicament.
“Literally overnight, people had to leave their homes,” explained Robinson. “Do you know what happens to food left in a house for 11 months? Their homes are now unlivable. Pests and weeds have taken over, and the stench of rotting trash is unimaginable.”
Robinson left his meeting with community members feeling deflated. Yet, he also saw an unprecedented opportunity for Jewish National Fund-USA’s philanthropic community to solve a challenge others deemed too hard.
“Yes, there is pain and despair, yet these local leaders in Israel’s north are more determined than ever to bring people back, increase the population, provide education, security, medical services, and so much more—and they want to do it with Jewish National Fund-USA, an organization with deep roots and relationships in the region.”
Jewish National Fund-USA’s new “Reimagine Plan,” will leverage its decades of philanthropic support in the region to spearhead efforts to rebuild the north and make it the most desirable place to live in all of Israel—a lofty goal, to be sure.
Robinson admits that one of the greatest challenges is that Israel’s north is not on the world’s radar. Even within the Jewish community, people don’t realize the level of destruction this region has suffered, he says.
To drive much-needed visibility about the situation in Israel’s north, Jewish National Fund-USA has launched a grassroots initiative. Its “Reality to Reimagine Caravan” will engage communities, congregations, and the broader philanthropic community to understand the realities on the ground.
Throughout September and October, delegations of residents from northern Israel will share their experiences with American audiences and invite them to reimagine their futures with the people of the north.
Malka kicked off the Caravan’s visit this week, meeting with communities across the Tri-State region.
Despite his intensive university studies, Malka says he could no longer stand on the sidelines and watch as his community wallowed in uncertainty, not knowing when they could return home.
The ongoing quagmire and sense of uncertainty felt by the people of Israel’s north prompted Malka to make the voices of 68,000 displaced residents heard. Now the co-founder of “Lobby 1701,” named after UN Resolution 1701—which has failed to keep Hezbollah away from Israel’s border—he hopes to activate members of his community and the Diaspora to reimagine a more prosperous and secure future for the north.
Malka hopes to rally support around Jewish National Fund-USA’s Reimagine Plan, which will “prioritize the dreams and wishes of the people of the north and their communities while increasing the population in the Galilee by 300,000 people by 2050. ”
Highlights of Jewish National Fund-USA’s Reimagine Plan include:
- Bringing volunteer missions to the north to help rebuild damaged homes and public facilities (almost 4,000 volunteers have participated in its missions since October 7)
- Expanding its Small Business Association and Western Galilee Now strategies to the Eastern Galilee
- Establishing a Tourism Association
- Developing new housing sites
- Building additional Emergency Response Centers
- Completing a world-class culinary institute and medical center
- Offering mental health services, updating historical sites, bomb shelters, services for people with disabilities, and employment and youth services, and
- Working with authorities and 30 local municipalities to provide additional bomb shelters, safe rooms, and more.
Malka admits he had doubts about his community’s future until a meeting with Robinson. “Before, I thought we were only a few thousand people. How can we change our reality? But Russell said I was wrong. He said, ‘You have millions of people in America and around the world who care about the people of Israel. Together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.’ When you hear something like that, it gives you so much confidence for the future.”
“We can’t just rebuild our communities like they were on October 6. We must make them the most beautiful, amenity-rich towns where people will strive to live,” said Malka. “We want the north to become the envy of all of Israel.”
For more information about the Reality to Reimagine Caravan, contact Jewish National Fund-USA Chief Israel Officer, Talia Tzour Avner at tzour@jnf.org. To support relief and rebuilding efforts in Israel’s north and south, visit jnf.org/supportisrael.