The sirens had always been a part of life in Beit Hillel, and like many Israelis, Roi Graber and his family had learned to live with them. Life in their moshav near the Lebanese border had found its own peace—Roi owned a popular restaurant (the "best pizza in the north," according to his patrons), and his young family flourished.

In late 2023, the threat that had long simmered along the Lebanese border turned real, and the Israeli government warned Roi and his neighbors about the mounting danger. "We learned Hezbollah was planning an attack and tensions were high," Roi recalled. "Nobody [at the time] was thinking about Hamas." Roi and his wife, Ortal, remained in their home until October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel and the head of the moshav ordered an evacuation. Together, the couple gathered their two daughters and made plans to leave. "I felt like I was going through the motions," said Roi. "I cooked dinner for my kids at the restaurant and sent my employees away." That night, as tanks and drones patrolled Beit Hillel, the Grabers fled. Hezbollah struck the following day.

The family spent several nights in Roi's father's saferoom in Harish before fleeing to Cyprus, where they joined other displaced families in a hotel. News trickled in from northern and southern Israel: stories of devastation, of family members taken, of horrors their friends could barely speak of. Though the couple’s daughters believed they were on ‘vacation,’ the illusion crumbled as images from the Hamas attacks appeared online. "[Ortal and I] decided not to return to Israel, but staying in Cyprus was not the right choice, either," said Roi.

With no clear path forward, Ortal contacted Guy Neumann and Ronit Shoham, two relatives in Greater Hartford. The two then worked with Gayle and Steve Temkin to secure a home for the Grabers and spread the word of their impending arrival. As the family boarded their plane toward an uncertain future, they were about to discover the meaning of "Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh"—all Jews are responsible for one another.

In the United States, a new life quickly took shape: the Grabers’ daughters were invited to join the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford, and Roi recalled a conversation he’d had a year prior with David Waren, President and CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. "David suggested I do a kosher restaurant here, that the community needed it and I could make it happen," said Roi. With support from local investors, new friends, and an interest-free loan from Federation’s Jewish Free Loan Fund, he opened Gveenah in West Hartford in January 2025. The restaurant’s true impact became clear when two Jewish friends—one Orthodox, one not religious—told Roi it was the first time they could share a meal out together. "That's when I saw how right David was; this restaurant can be good for everyone,” said Roi. “And the support we got from the community … thank you is not enough."

The photos in the Grabers' phones tell two stories now—the life they left behind in Israel, and the one they're building in Greater Hartford. As the news from Israel changes by the day, Roi and Ortal hold to their path forward: "It’s hard living between two worlds, but we’ve decided to concentrate on the life we’re building right here, right now," said Roi before rushing back to the grill—it was nearly closing time on a Friday afternoon, and the line of patrons stretched almost to the door.

Above: Roi Graber, owner of Gveenah. Photo credit: Ronni Newton