mission
undaunted: ajc solidarity mission to israel
july 2006
Hastily, but masterfully organized only days before, our group of 40 from the leadership of the American Jewish Committee was honored to visit Israel in a period of terrible crisis and uncertainty.
Our visit captures the essence of AJC’s dual mission of advocacy and education. The trip was an expression of our solidarity with the people and government of Israel. In order to learn directly about all aspects of the current conflict - military, political, strategic, as well as humanitarian - we met with an extraordinary diversity of Israelis, including key government leaders, military officials, and political analysts, as well as a variety of its citizens.
And learn, we did.
And part of what we learned, a most poignant aspect of our visit: the universal gratitude we received from all whom we encountered - injured medical patients, their families, hospital personnel, hotel workers, mayors, ministers, and ambassadors. All consistently expressed in the most heartfelt manner their deep appreciation for our support. These heroic people were humbling and inspiring.This blog is a collection of our group’s thoughts, our pictures, and our hopes for a peaceful future. While we were the first mission to visit in this new era of Israel’s history, we welcome the many who will follow.
with deep gratitude for a remarkable experience,
your webmistress,
ronnie s stangler
