Dear Friends,
The Chabad of Naples trip of 2024 was meant to be another exquisite adventure, uncovering the beauty of our land and the composition of our spirit.
The trip of 2024 in real time would become a journey unmatched in the history of our many trips.
We spent a week grasping the unimaginable in ways never to have been imagined before.
We met with our people all around Israel, sat and listened to their heartbreak until ours felt like it was shattered too.
We hugged and cried with soldiers who had seen the unseeable, and stood with mothers whose babies were torn from their arms and wait for them in Hamas’s tunnels of hell.
We saw the heroism of Israel, the brave people who ran into the fires and showed superhuman strength to guard their people, We got the chills when they said they’d do anything for the nation of Israel, because we saw that it was true. We felt their faith straight through our bones when after all they witnessed and survived, they stood up to thank God, don tefillin, and pledge to light Shabbat candles.
Our enemies intended to bring us to our knees, yet a unified Am Yisrael did just the opposite. We reached in and with a strength so fierce, and determination so focused, we rose to a place unmatched, like the Hasmoneans of old - the enemy forgot who they were dealing with.
We wish I could stay side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder with them until all the pain is healed.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge my dear wife Ettie Zaklos who held the fort back at home. I feel so blessed to be supported by my amazing partner who keeps everything going, for our kids, world famous Chabad of Naples, our community, and of course, #1 Preschool of the Arts! She’s the pillar of support and absolute powerhouse behind and in front of everything I do. Thank you, Ettie!
I’d also like to say a tremendous thank you to every single person who donated. Your donation is feeding and clothing victims of terror, lifting up the injured, and supporting our soldiers.
You’re making a huge difference to the IDF, and to lift their morale when they need it most, and much more.
Your donation is doing incredible things for Israel, and you showed that we can do something. We can show up and make a difference. And now we need to do even more. The need is real!
I would like to encourage you to continue to be strong and continue your support, and the mitzvot you had started doing for our brothers and sisters.
We pledge to take the message we have heard this week and bring it home to our families, communities, congregations and friends. We understand that at the charge of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, we fight a spiritual battle which needs to be won on all fronts too. And this we promise to do.
Let us make a resolution that we will not rest until our brothers and sisters can walk the streets safely, be happy, and each of the hostages are returned safely.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos