As barrages of rockets and missiles relentlessly found their targets across northern Israel, Ohr Torah Stone provided temporary shelter for 320 residents of Galilee communities seeking safe refuge from the attacks. “We teach our students that ‘kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh’ – ‘all of Israel is responsible for one another’ – is the epitome of Torah values and Jewish unity,” says Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone network. “So it was only natural for us to rise to the national challenge of helping others in desperate need.”

OTS provided temporary accommodations in the dormitory of the Neveh Shmuel High School for Boys for residents of moshav Bar Yochai, Carmiel, Hatzor, Safed and the Haifa area. “We had no choice; we had to leave our home,” explained Chaim Nasi, who arrived in Efrat with his wife and five children. “We were under constant attack.” Absorbing the immense, unbudgeted expense of hosting its desperate guests, OTS provided three meals a day, laundry services and recreational facilities for children. Residents of Efrat arrived in droves with bed linens, towels, games, toys and snacks, while teenage volunteers enthusiastically provided impromptu entertainment for the children and helped serve meals in the Katz Family Dining Hall.

For Hadas, a tenth-grader in the Neveh Channah High School for Girls, volunteering to help was a natural response. “These families live on the front lines,” she said. “Of course we have to do everything we can for them. We’re all in this together.”

 

The northern refugees, many of whom had never been to Gush Etzion before, expressed amazement at the warm welcome they received. “The people in Efrat are unbelievable!” marveled Niv Elkaim, 12, from Bar Yochai. “They invited us into their homes even though they didn’t even know us!” Alona Blinder of Carmiel echoed his sentiments. “When we arrived here we were greeted with open arms and open hearts,” she recalled. “The five days we spent in the shelter were nothing short of horrific. Here, we have a real bed, quiet and tranquility. Ohr Torah Stone has enveloped us with love and respect while providing everything we need. It’s obvious that their concern is genuine, wholehearted, and motivated by true Jewish values and spirit. We really feel like we are all one nation.”

For guests and hosts alike, the difficult situation created by the war also provided a feeling of optimism, as people of all levels of religious observance, from completely secular to ultra-Orthodox, lived together at Neve Shmuel in harmony and goodwill. “The power of Jewish unity and commitment was a ray of light that shone through the darkness of heartache and fear,” said Rabbi Riskin. “It gave all of us – residents of the north and everyone involved in hosting them – a strong sense of comfort and hope for the future.” 

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