Month: October 2025

Nearly two months into my role as a Shlicha (Israeli emissary) of The Jewish Agency for Israel at The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, I find myself asking the same question nearly every day: What is my mission here?

What does it truly mean to build a bridge between Israel and American Jewry?

Each day, I receive a different answer.

Creating “Talking Walls”

To mark two years since the October 7 massacre, I chose to curate an exhibition at the Federation offices showcasing powerful Israeli cartoons that reflect some of what we’ve experienced in Israel over the past two years.

Because sometimes, words just aren’t enough.

As I prepared the exhibition over the past two weeks, I kept hoping and praying that the final poster would be unnecessary. That it would be a waste of money.

Today, that wish came true.

The beautiful, foam-mounted poster—professionally printed and ready to hang—was covered this morning with a simple, printed A4 page:

“They’re coming home.” 

A Bridge Built of Art and Hope

This exhibition, Talking Walls: Israeli Caricatures Post October 7, brings together ten cartoons by Israeli artists—each capturing a moment, a feeling, or a truth from this complex time.

Originally shared on social media, these works move from virtual spaces into the physical world, offering an opportunity for our community to join the conversation. Together, they bridge two realms: the physical walls shattered on October 7, and the virtual walls built through online expression and solidarity.

Finding My Role

This is just the beginning. I’ll probably keep asking myself every day what my role here really is.

But I hope there will be more days like this—when the answer is clear, and for once, it comes with a big smile and a deep breath of fresh air.

This moment feels like an opportunity for all of us to pause, reflect on the last two years in Israel, and finally breathe a little easier as a bit of light begins to shine through.

It’s important for me, on this day, to remember all the people and heroes who made it possible to reach this moment. I honor and thank the soldiers and security forces who gave their lives, and everyone whose courage and determination helped make this day a reality.

We will not give up on any hostage and will continue to stand firm until every one of them returns home—to their families or to a dignified burial.

I hope this is the beginning of a greater change that will bring healing, recovery, and peace to Israel and the region.

Learn more about our community Shlichim and how they help build bridges between Israel and Greater Washington here.

Experience the Artwork

This morning, Israel confirmed the release of all the remaining living hostages taken on October 7, 2023, as part of the ceasefire agreement. While we wait, with sorrow and hope, for the remains of the other hostages expected to be returned, we celebrate a moment we have prayed and hoped for: many who were taken so brutally by Hamas are finally home.

For families who have waited in fear and uncertainty for 737 days, this is a profound turning point. We exhale in relief, renew our commitment to the work ahead, and lean into hope for a Jewish future free from the darkness that has unfolded since that day in October.

We express deep gratitude for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, whose tireless advocacy has inspired us all, and for the Nova Tribe, whose courage and creativity through the Nova Music Festival Exhibition this past summer helped our community remember and heal.

We welcome home those returning, and we stand with the families of the missing, still caught in agonizing limbo, and with the families waiting to receive the remains of their loved ones.

We can never fully comprehend what survivors and the families of those lost or held hostage have endured. The weight of their grief, fear, and trauma is beyond measure. Yet as a community, we share in the sacred work of carrying that burden together. May the memories of those we have lost be for a blessing.

This moment also brings immense sorrow as we mourn the loss of Roei Shalev, a survivor of the attack at the Nova Music Festival, who took his own life just days ago, two years after watching Hamas murder his girlfriend. His passing is a devastating reminder of the invisible wounds so many still carry—pain that is deep, relentless, and far from over.

In the tender days ahead, our purpose remains clear: to show up for one another, to support the families still waiting, and to remain steadfast in our commitment to Jewish life, the people of Israel, safety, and Jewish peoplehood here in Greater Washington and around the world. Today’s homecoming and the long work of recovery stand side by side.

Healing, both personal and collective, takes time, care, and each of us choosing compassion again and again. But there is nothing we can’t overcome when we show up for one another, hold each other close, and remind every person that they are not alone in their anguish or in their healing.

May this moment mark the beginning of a broader return—not only of the hostages, but of healing and renewal for us all.

With deep gratitude,

Robin Hettleman Weinberg
President, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Gil Preuss
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington