From Mexico City to San Diego: Jewish Connection, Resilience, and Hope

Dear Friends, This week, I spent a few days in Mexico City, traveling with a talented and passionate group of Federation CEOs from across the U.S., alongside professionals from Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). We were there to learn about Mexico City’s strong Jewish community, see firsthand our shared impact on Jewish life in Latin America, and connect as leaders responsible for strengthening Jewish communities around the world. Experiences like this reinforce how deeply interconnected our work in San Diego is with Jewish life globally.

On all fronts, the trip was a success. We were warmly welcomed by dozens of members of the community. We met with incredible Jewish educators from Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Mexico, along with those from Mexico City’s partner region in Israel, Eshkol – all supported by JAFI, a core overseas partner of our Federation. We also spent meaningful time with leaders of the Mexican Jewish community, including the Comité Central de la Comunidad Judía de México (CCCJM), the umbrella organization that represents and coordinates Jewish life and institutions in the country. Throughout the visit, we were constantly struck by the powerful sense of connection and peoplehood we experienced. After speaking with the head of the Maccabi program in Guatemala for just five minutes, we had invited one another to visit our homes, and it already felt like we had known each other for far longer. The educators from Eshkol, located next to Sha’ar HaNegev and home to Kibbutz Be’eri and Nir Oz, have endured some of the darkest of days. Yet they participated with pride and excitement, eager to share their progress, learn from their peers, and be in community with their global family. It was powerful to see how our investment in JAFI is strengthening all of these communities, many of whom face daunting challenges. 

Over the past few years, we have all been through something together. We have come out changed, and it has only strengthened our bond and our resilience. I have seen it in Israel, I saw it in Mexico City, and I see it every day in San Diego – when we stand up against the noxious antisemitism we are too often confronted with, when we gather by the hundreds for simchas, and in every way we choose to live proud, loud Jewish lives.

No one exemplifies that resilience more clearly than the former hostages who survived captivity and are now finding the strength to tell their stories. They are living embodiments of the strength and survival of the Jewish people. Just last week, we celebrated the announcement of the engagement of Emily Damari, a former hostage from Kfar Aza. This simple, normal news about a young woman 7,000 miles away flew across my WhatsApp like wildfire. We are immensely relieved that every single hostage is home. And, next Saturday, for the first time in 12 years, we will gather at a Federation event without a single hostage still in Gaza. 

I can think of no better time to welcome former hostages Ziv and Gali Berman and their family to our community.

So many times since October 7th, I have visited their homes in Kfar Aza, walked the young adult neighborhood where they lived, seen their photos, and heard person after person say there was no moving on until they came home. I know I was not alone in staying up late the night they returned, overwhelmed by the images of the brothers reunited with their family and with one another.

That connection felt deeply personal, and it was shared by so many of us.  Imagine being in a room with these two remarkable young men who have suffered so much, and who are here to inspire us and give us hope. That is resilience. We only have a handful of seats left for FED360 on February 7, where we will hear directly from Ziv and Gali as they speak publicly for the first time about the pain of their separation, the strength that carried them through, and their hopes for the future. If you haven’t already registered, today is your final opportunity to do so.

Registration closes today!

We also invite you to join us on Monday, February 9 for a conversation with Ziv and Gali, along with their mother, Talia; their aunt, Macabit; their brother, Idan; and their dear friend, Ido. Each of them was a fierce advocate for Ziv and Gali, and for all of the other hostages, during the long months of uncertainty.

From Mexico City to Israel, I have seen the power of Jewish connection and shared responsibility. Moments like these, and the ability to show up for one another across continents, are possible because our community chooses to invest in Jewish life, healing, and resilience. If you feel moved, I invite you to support this work through Federation, where we strengthen Jewish education and community through JAFI, support former hostages and their families through the Victims of Terror Fund, help ensure a vibrant Jewish future here at home and around the world, and so much more. Now, we have the chance to bring that same strength and warmth to Ziv and Gali as they spend time in our community. Help us make San Diego feel like their second home. 

Shabbat Shalom, 

Heidi Gantwerk,

President & CEO Jewish Federation of San Diego