On January 18th of this year, I visited Sderot once again. It was exactly, almost day to day, one year anniversary of my previous trip to the city. The purpose of the visit was the same as last years -- to check RJCF's projects on the ground and to meet with our staff, and partners.

Click here to see all pictures from the trip

First thing that struck me were Israeli flags. Flags were everywhere in the center of the city. All cabs were sporting four small flags on all corners of the car. There were lots of volunteers who came from all over the country to help the residents and the troops.

The unilateral cease fire was signed during that very day, so this was the last day of Gaza war. The mood that I saw in Israel and in Sderot was very different than last year. There was unity, support in the rest of the country, and there was much better mood in Sderot itself. For two reasons: significant reduction in Quassams, and the sense that the residents were no longer abandoned.

After meeting our colleagues and friends in Sderot -- Natasha Ponayatova and Sveta Lior Shitrit we went to Beit Chabad to meet with Rav Moshe Zeev Pizem, our friend and partner. A year ago Beit Chabad was first to welcome and to host our main year round project -- an after-school program in English, Math and Tradition for children of Sderot.

During the war Beit Chabad hosted refugees from kibbutzim of the Gaza vicinity who were shelled very severely. In addition to taking care of refugees and residents in need, Rav Pizem would pack everyday with the help of Yeshiva students his Chabad mitzva-tank -- a big RV typically used by Lubavicthers for various projects -- with clean underwear for soldiers, food, and would go to positions to bring it to soldiers, to do b-b-q for them, to play music. The army let him go there to improve morale of the soldiers. As he said to me with a smile -- Bli Chabad Ein Milchama -- No war is possible without Chabad.

In the Chabad house I saw the picture of Mayor of Sderot David Buskila during his visit to the Lubavithcher Rebbe. About eighteen years ago during his first term as Mayor, David Buskila brought a symbolic key from the city to the Rebbe. The Rebbe accepted, but warned Mr. Buskila that by giving him the key he made the Rebbe owner of the city. The Rebbe promised with a smile "not too meddle in the affairs of the administration."

Our next meeting with the same Mayor David Buskila. During the war the city government relocated into a re-enforced command center. This was where we were supposed to meet. Every single person we met at the entrance to the center felt obliged to tell us that Mayor does not receive anybody, and that he would not receive us. But despite that inside the center we were warmly greeted by Mayor's staff who told us, that Mayor would be late because he was meeting with Bibi Netaniyahu. At the end the Mayor was late only by fifteen minutes, and he was very interested to meet with us and to discuss our projects and partnership with the city.


At the end, we shook hands with Mayor of further cooperation between RJCF and the city of Sderot. He was very excited about the scope and effectiveness of RJCF's projects in the city.

An exhibit at the entrance to the command center reminds visitors what Sderot was through this past eight years.

After the meeting with Mayor Buskila we went back to Beit Chabad where we met with young adults, participants and future leaders of our programs in Sderot and in summer and winter camps.

The day in Sderot ended with meeting with parents of children and community activists. We discussed a new program of Sderot Community club for adults that was initiated by Dr. Sam Geisberg.

Project management of RJCF's project in Sderot is done by Dr. Baruch Youssin of Ma'ale Adumim. Baruch is a former refusnik, as many of us, a former Moscovite, and a former Bostonian. So, he is perfectly fit to bridge cultural mentalities of different parts of the Russian Jewish diaspora that are participating in our charitable projects. We spent Shabbos prior to trip to Sderot at our usual destination -- Ma'ale Adumim.

Saturday night, after Shabbos the Russian Jewish community of Ma'ale Adumim was visited by Uzi Landau, former MK from Likud for twenty-two years, and now, number two in Avigdor Lieberman's Israel Beitenu. A natural question that people asked Mr. Landau -- was why Israel Beitenu? His answer was that Israel Beitenu will be a good stop mechanism to Bibi sliding to the left under pressure. Uzi Landau went to MIT and has warmest memories of Boston. He also hada very warm words for the Russian Jewish community of Boston.

All in all, it was a good trip. Back home main stream media was focusing on Gaza's suffering. How come that all these supposedly well-meaning journalists did not notice ten thousands Quassams dropped on a peaceful city during last eight years?

My impression was that Israel actions were justified, even if belated. Finally a tremendous injustice of abandoning civil population under terrorist fire was corrected by the Jewish state and people were grateful for this.