The Content Jedi Blog

To commemorate the one year anniversary of October 7, I am releasing a series of blogs throughout the month that capture my April Jewish National Fund volunteer mission to Israel.

There are still over 100 hostages in Gaza, and it's day 365 of the war with Hamas. 

These first appeared on Facebook.

April 14 : Arrival

I've found that the best way to deal with the stress of rocket and drone strikes is by sleeping through it somewhere that's 48 minutes away.

I've also found that the best way to stress people out while Israel is under attack is to be inaccessible for 13 hours during the deepest sleep I've had since splitting a bottle of Southern Comfort my freshman year of college.

I left Chicago on 4/12 and connected in Madrid unsure if my next flight would be departing for Tel Aviv given the news of an imminent attack from Iran. No attack, so we took off as scheduled. I can't sleep on flights anymore. It's been 16 years since I've flown overseas, and suffice to say, the seats have gotten smaller and less comfortable.

I landed in Tel Aviv at 5pm on Saturday and got in bed at 9:30, strung out from being awake for the last 30 hours. My anxiety started running roughshod over me, not because I was afraid of an Iranian attack, but because I was overtired and panicking that I would never fall asleep again. I took some medicine and called my wife, Amy—which is even better medicine—and I crashed.

At 10:40am on Sunday, I switched my phone off of airplane mode, and it went absolutely ape shit with WhatsApp and text notifications and took a good minute before completing its purge. Iran had attacked and I was nowhere to be found. I called Amy and she filled me in. While on the phone, I scrolled down to the message from Jewish National Fund that the trip was canceled. I went down to the lobby and was met with utter calm. I asked the receptionist if everything was okay, if her family were okay, and she grinned and said,

"Kol tov (all good). This is Tel Aviv. Have breakfast, and go to the beach. It's beautiful out, but be careful when swimming, because it's very windy."

Turns out that the trip was still on for those of us lucky enough to make it to Israel but with limited programming now set within the Tel Aviv city limits. I thank you all for reaching out to see if I was safe and asking which flight I'd immediately be taking home.
Understand, though, that there was no chance in hell that I'd be leaving. I'd waited too long to come here and already had one trip canceled in October. Every single day, Israelis are fighting not only for their existence but for mine and my children's and all Diaspora Jews. To be here in support of the only Jewish State is the highest honor. To bear witness to my people who are so resilient that they could take in stride another assault, has made me feel the safest I've ever been. You just have to be here during a time like this to understand.

Two more things: 1) We wound up sticking to our original itinerary, a testament to Israeli security, and 2) I became known as “The Man Who Slept Through a War.” 

April 15: Shomel Ha Chadash 

Uval, the owner of Moshav (farming community) Shomel Ha Chadash: "If you will close the business then Hamas will win. I could not let them win. The volunteers spiritually and mentally have helped us keep on going. All the volunteers saved us after October 7th."
We spent the afternoon preparing lots of kilograms of Chinese cabbage and leeks for these fine folks.



Uval, Owner of Moshav Shomel Ha Chadash

Uval hauntingly told us that on October 6, all of his Gazan employees asked to be paid in full early, something they’d never requested before.
Doron is the adoptive father of 21-year-old Edan Alexander, of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, who was stationed near the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7 when he was taken captive by Hamas terrorists.
Edan was born in Tel Aviv, grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and joined Golani as a lone soldier (no family in Israel to support him) after graduating from high school in 2022.

Yesterday marked day 192 (today it’s 367) since Edan was kidnapped. Our entire group joined Doron, counting in solidarity from 1 to 192. Every Shabbat, Doron sets a chair, plate, and lights a candle for Edan.

"Everyday it's the same day as 7th of October. I don't know who could be strong 192 days as a hostage. I am the only voice. Edan doesn't have a voice."

About the Author, David Telisman

I am a Writer and Content Creator, and I work with businesses to inspire their customers to buy from them. I believe that my clients deserve to feel proud of how their content marketing looks and what it says, and I deliver by providing expert copywriting and marketing solutions.

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