IsraAid and the Meaning of Love

I was planning to write this column at the beginning of the year. After spending four memorable days in November as part of a humanitarian mission to Guatemala with the Israeli non-profit IsraAid, I had plenty to say.

But, once again, a human planned, and God laughed.

Very quickly, the madness of 2020 took over. From the presidential impeachment to COVID-19 to the global lockdown to racial unrest to the elections, I could barely come up for air.

Then, a few weeks ago, something unusual happened. A prominent Arab country, the United Arab Emirates, decided to throw caution to the wind and announced the beginning of full, open diplomatic relations with the world’s only Jewish state. In doing so, they conveyed a breakthrough message: Regardless of old animosities, it is in the interest of Arab countries to do business with Israel.

Why did this make me think of my trip to Guatemala?

Let’s take a step back. No matter how much we get used to it, it’s still mind-boggling to think that Israel has been the most condemned country at the United Nations, and that the loudest boycott movement on the planet is aimed straight at Israel. In the Middle East, Israel has been the hated Zionist enemy and convenient scapegoat for so long it’s boring to even bring it up.

So, while I was seeing Israelis working in little villages in Guatemala, I wondered: Who ever hears about this Israel? Who sees Israelis in action around the world? Who thinks of Israel as a plus for humanity rather than a minus? Well, the villagers I saw in Guatemala, and millions of others who have been helped by IsraAid, surely do.

While I was seeing Israelis working in little villages in Guatemala, I wondered: Who ever hears about this Israel?

And now, the Emirates obviously do, and they’re getting the word out to the world: Israel is a plus, not a minus.

As a lover of Israel, I can’t help seeing IsraAid, which, according to its website, has had a global impact on 14 million people in 16 countries, as the ideal brand ambassador for Israel.

But the Israelis I’ve met over the years who are involved with humanitarian work– both with IsraAid and other groups such as Innovation Africa– rarely talk about PR or branding. That’s not what drives them.

What drives them is a sense of doing meaningful stuff. Life is short, let’s make it count.

The Israelis I’ve met over the years who are involved with humanitarian work rarely talk about PR or branding. That’s not what drives them. What drives them is a sense of doing meaningful stuff.

It certainly wasn’t branding that was on the mind of the Israelis who left their familiar Israeli nests to live near poor villages In Guatemala and provide daily assistance. I met them. I hung out with them. I drove on long dirt roads with them. I saw them work with families still traumatized by a 2018 volcano that was the worst the country had seen in 45 years.

We see plenty of “hit and run” type of humanitarian work, when activists fly into disaster areas, provide emergency aid, and then move on. IsraAid provides emergency aid but does a lot more than that, so their teams tend to stick around. They bring Israeli know-how, from technology to trauma therapy, to people who need it on a daily basis. They also bring  plain old human compassion.

Their “boots on the ground” approach came in handy this year with the COVID-19 pandemic, because health professionals who usually come on missions had to stay home to help their own countries.

In the Kahuma refugee camp of Kenya, for example, the IsraAid staff set up handwashing stations and taught people how to minimize the spread of the virus. Because COVID-19 is so global and lethal, IsraAid is doing this across their network.

I’ve been receiving regular updates on their humanitarian activities around the world. Here’s a recent message that summarizes what their year has been like:

“IsraAid’s teams are focusing on how we can best respond to the immediate situation, support communities as they recover and adjust to this ‘new normal’ while ensuring that ongoing needs—often exacerbated by this crisis—are still met.”

The funny thing is, while I’ve been getting all their updates, they’ve been very chill about me writing something on the Guatemala trip. Not that they wouldn’t want it, but it speaks to what I mentioned earlier: They care more about doing their work than about showing it off.

I guess when you do something you love, you do it because you love it, not so that others will love you.

If more countries like the UAE see the special value of Israel, and if IsraAid continues to expand its global reach, a lot of love may be coming Israel’s way, whether it looks for it or not.