Kibbutz Sufa, located just over a mile from the Gazan border, suffered devastating losses during the October 7 terrorist attacks. Lives were lost, homes riddled with bullet holes, and all 227 residents displaced—disrupting an entire community's way of life. In response, Federation established ties with the people of Sufa, offering emotional and financial support, including $750,000 toward the kibbutz’s restoration. This spring, our community welcomed eight Sufa delegates to Greater Hartford, with five local families serving as hosts, including West Hartford residents Jodie and Scott Sadowsky. Below is Jodie's firsthand account of how Greater Hartford’s hospitality created a profound connection between two communities.
 

This past May, my family hosted Eran and Eyal, two longtime Sufa residents, who have travelled together many times over their years of friendship. Eran (“Big Papi” to many) describes himself as a “potato farmer.” He grew up on a kibbutz, has worked in the fields since age 16, sells agricultural equipment, and remains very involved in the Sufa Management Committee, including steering the plans for restoration and the residents’ return. Eyal, a longtime fireman and member of the Sufa Emergency Response Team, now teaches and trains firefighters in hazardous materials and chemistry at Israel’s National Fire and Rescue Academy. Both are married with children. 

Watching and listening as Eran and Eyal, along with the other Kibbutz Sufa delegates, shared their haunting memories of October 7 was the hardest part of hosting (truly, the only difficult part). Eran and Eyal had not recounted the horrors of that day in front of an audience. They were surprised by how emotional it felt to share their stories, and, though they knew the devastating details, they found it particularly painful to hear the other delegates speak publicly.

Jewish Family Services helped all the host families anticipate the toll of jetlag and long days of community visits. When Eyal and Eran returned each night, they re-capped the highlights and emotions of their days. Both were so warm, smart, and funny—their back and forth banter was especially endearing. At the end of the day, they wanted to share their stories over coffee/tea/beer—and then they wanted to smile and laugh! We played ping pong and the guys played their first holes of simulator golf. 

This is the biggest lesson we learned: we humans—we Jews—are resilient, and even through trauma, we seek out connection and joy. Eran reiterated how the support of our community had helped theirs continue, both in committing to help restore the kibbutz and ensuring that the residents (currently split up between the Israeli cities of Ramat Gan and Ofakim) united as usual for holidays and picnics during their displacement. Eyal proudly shared how his daughter is actively rebuilding Sufa by introducing new families to the community. We learned about modern kibbutz life, how much it means to them to live their lives together, and how eager they are to return to Sufa, just one mile from Gaza. 

Since October 7, Eran and Eyal have been living in city apartments, much removed from their beloved rural Sufa, so we spent lots of our free time together in nature. They walked in the mornings with my early-bird husband, and our kids and some friends joined in for a hike to Heublein Tower and a visit to the waterfalls at Granby’s Enders Falls. They noticed that the ways we find connection in Greater Hartford are not so different from the kibbutz: through our schools and institutions, Federation and JCC, at Temple Sinai for services and a sweet Shabbat dinner, and a special BBQ my sister and brother-in-law prepared while we were out exploring (complete with an “Israeli salad” lovingly prepared by our visiting Israeli).

Kudos to the Federation leadership for swiftly partnering with Sufa and envisioning how our communities might mutually support each other. We gained insight into Israel and the war and feel immensely protected by and protective of our brothers and sisters who sacrifice so much for Israel’s future and for all of us to live safe, productive Jewish lives. I asked Eyal what he wants American Jews to know about Israelis. “That we are one,” he said. “We are with you and you are with us.” We can’t wait to visit our new friends in Israel and pray for their safe and happy return home to Sufa.

My family will be forever grateful that we were asked to host guests from Kibbutz Sufa—and that we were able to say yes. 

Above: Sadowsky family with Sufa visitors Eran (center) and Eyal (far right) 

To learn how you can support the families of Kibbutz Sufa, contact Israel Partnership Coordinator Tammy Krulewitz at tkrulewitz@jewishhartford.org.