In the aftermath of October 7th, we all have asked ourselves: How do I tell Israel’s story now?
How do we speak of the grief, the fear, the complexity, the anger, the aching disappointment, and the expectation of resilience? And how do we explain the ongoing strength of those who have stayed, who have returned, who are rebuilding?
The instinct to explain or to justify is human. As rabbis and educators, you’re being asked to lead—to translate heartbreak into words, sermons, and community conversations. But how do you tell a story that even Israelis are still learning how to tell and still does not have a clear ending?
At Kenes Tours, we believe, after 60 years of walking this land alongside communities like yours, that the most powerful form of storytelling isn’t speech. It’s presence.
It’s stepping into the communities of the north and south, not just reading about them. It’s sitting with Israeli parents who’ve moved their children back home, even under threat. It’s volunteering side by side with residents in a community center rebuilt from rubble and memory. It’s bearing witness to the landscape of the Nova Festival site and standing in that haunting, sacred space with your congregants in stunned silence.
We are past the days of “solidarity” or “destruction” tourism. We’ve entered the era of “resilience” and “hope” tourism. This moment is not just about seeing, it’s about being seen by Israeli leaders and changemakers who speak not in press conferences, but in circles of trust.
Rabbis and groups who travel with us meet military analysts and regional experts who walk them through today’s security picture. Not through a TV screen, but from observation posts and strategy maps.
They sit with protest leaders who shaped Israel’s democracy movement, people who now wrestle with the contradictions of holding both love and critique for this country.
They hug real people who have lost so much, who are still here, who deeply feel the power of not being alone.
We’ve heard it said over and over again from rabbis and community leaders who’ve traveled with us since October 7th: people return home changed. Not just more informed, but more connected, more grounded, more awake. They speak differently about Israel. They pray differently. They show up for their Judaism in ways never expected.
This isn’t about “selling” Israel. We know Israel means different things to different people. It always has, and it always will.
This is about feeling Israel. Asking hard questions. Tasting the food. Laughing with strangers. Holding space for pain and wonder in the same breath.
We know many communities are struggling right now, emotionally, ideologically, spiritually. And you feel it more than anyone: the confusion, the fatigue, the fragmentation. That old saying, “two Jews, ten opinions” has never felt more fragile.
But something shifts when you bring your community to Israel. Not into agreement, but into relationship. Not a debate. Not a lecture. But a shared journey rooted in empathy, complexity, and shared humanity.
When your community stands on the land, hears its stories, and feels its truths in real time, they carry Israel home in their bodies and souls, not just in their minds.
We can’t promise easy answers. We don’t offer scripts. But we can commit to creating partnerships and experiences that tell an Israel story that is rooted in honesty and authenticy, and is shaped by the people you meet and this unique place.
Let’s write your story together.
Contact: Sarah Cytryn – Sarahc@kenes-tours.com
