We received this video from our friend, the Mayor of Karmiel.

Donors to our Jewish Federation’s Israel Emergency Relief Fund and Community Campaign helped make these possible in the days following Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023 attack. They are not fancy—but when the warning sounds and a missile is incoming from Iran or Hezbollah, luxury doesn’t matter. Protection does.

Through your generosity, we funded several of these shelters in our Partnership2Gether region, specifically in open areas such as sports fields where reaching a permanent shelter would be difficult, if not impossible. We hoped they would never be needed. But as Mayor Koninsky says in the video, because of you, lives were saved.

As we gather at our Seder tables next week and retell our people’s story of the Exodus—from slavery to freedom—I find myself thinking deeply about what freedom truly means. Freedom is agency. It is the ability to make choices and to act on them. Providing bomb shelters in Karmiel is something we were able to do because we had that freedom—and because we chose to use it.

We have the power to strengthen our community’s security. We have the ability to sustain Jewish education and foster meaningful Jewish engagement. We can care for older adults, support individuals with disabilities, help those facing financial hardship and ensure access to vital mental health resources. We possess the freedom to shape a strong, vibrant future for Jewish life.

Even at moments when it feels as though external forces are working against us—whether through rising antisemitism or reductions in federal funding—we still have agency. We still have will. And we still have the capacity to make a difference.

That is what freedom means to me. And it is why I remain hopeful for Jewish life in Pittsburgh today and for generations to come.

Wishing you and your families a Chag Kasher V’Sameach and a very happy Passover.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jeff Finkelstein