‘I’m mortal, but Am Israel Chai is eternal’

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish people have faced unprecedented challenges. The Hamas onslaught, which Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency, calls the “Simchat Torah War,” became a watershed moment that shook Israel and the Jewish world.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Almog reflects on the attack’s devastating impact and offers hope for recovery.

Almog is a prominent figure in Israeli society. He’s a former IDF major general — with a distinguished military career that includes leading complex operations such as the 1976 Entebbe raid, where he was the first soldier to set foot on the airport tarmac in Uganda — and a social activist who established the Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran rehabilitation village near Ofakim for people with disabilities.

His appointment as chairman of the Jewish Agency in August 2022 placed him at the helm of Israel-Diaspora relations during a challenging period.

“This represents Israel’s gravest crisis since the War of Independence and the Jewish people’s most significant challenge since World War II,” Almog said with visible pain.

He described the haunting scene in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the Gaza border, where he found sukkahs with tables still set and white tablecloths in place — silent witnesses to the Jewish holiday celebrations that ended in tragedy. “We were preparing for celebration,” he said quietly.

The Oct. 7 attacks, Almog acknowledged, represent “a catastrophic failure at every level,” but he emphasized that alongside the tragedy emerged “an unprecedented mobilization of the Jewish people.” Thousands flew to Israel for solidarity missions, volunteering and military service. The first days saw more than $1 billion in donations — a record-breaking response.

“My family is no stranger to grief,” he said.

During the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, two of his family members were murdered and four were taken hostage. His brother Eran was killed in the Yom Kippur War and left in the field for a week before recovery, and five family members were lost in the 2003 Maxim Restaurant suicide-bombing in Haifa.

Hamas terrorists broke into the Goldstein-Almog family home in Kfar Aza, where Nadav and Chen had hidden with their four children. They killed Nadav and their eldest daughter Yam, 20. Mother Chen, Agam, 17, Gal, 11, and Tal, 9 — were later freed in a hostage exchange after 51 days in captivity.

“The pain runs deep,” Almog said, “but we must press forward. “This embodies ‘in your blood, you shall live’ [Ezekiel 16:6].

Almog shared a poignant conversation with John Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage and killed. “At the shivah, when Rachel, Hersh’s mother, needed solitude and retreated to the house, I stayed with John. Holding his hand, I told him about my brother Eran, who was killed in the Yom Kippur War — the reason behind my extended military service.

“I explained how our shared grief, our struggle with loss, becomes a wellspring of strength,” he recounted. “We emerge stronger, more dedicated to our values and our homeland.”

Since the war began, the Jewish Agency and its partners, particularly the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal, have launched unprecedented support efforts for Israel’s recovery.

“This goes beyond financial support — we’re building deep human connections that strengthen the entire Jewish people, creating lasting partnerships between Jewish communities abroad and communities near Gaza,” Almog explained.”

Almog views aliyah as a key driver of growth and central to national recovery. “Since the war began, we’ve welcomed tens of thousands of olim from dozens of countries, working alongside the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration,” he reported. “We’ve seen a marked increase in aliyah applications from Western countries.”

The situation for Jewish communities abroad also presents complex challenges. While Almog acknowledges rising antisemitism, he views it through a historical lens.

“Antisemitism has always existed in cycles. It either simmers low or boils high. Right now, it’s boiling, but this too shall pass,” he offered.

Almog points to the Jewish people’s improved position compared to previous eras. “During World War II, we had no state. Six million Jews perished in the heart of Europe,” he said. “Today, despite our challenges, we have a strong nation capable of self-defense.”

The solidarity between Diaspora Jewry and Israel carries special significance given that before the war, relations had reached a low point. “We had become complacent, telling ourselves that Israel’s strength meant we could go it alone. Whether others chose to make aliyah or donate seemed irrelevant. We even discouraged talking about immigration.”

He called this a misguided approach, born of what he calls “excessive pride” and “hubris.” Almog believes the war has fundamentally shifted this dynamic, highlighting the essential nature of Diaspora relationships. “Our task now is to build bridges, not walls,” he said.

Almog points to the Western Wall compromise plan as a critical example of bridging divides between Jewish denominations. He recalls an incident early in his tenure when a Reform bar mitzvah celebrant from the US faced harassment during his ceremony at the Kotel.

“I reached out to the family via Zoom and emphasized that the Wall belongs to everyone,” Almog said, stressing the need for “fostering a new culture of mutual respect, where we learn to embrace our differences while living together.” He sees the Jewish Agency as vital to connecting diverse streams of global Judaism.

“These days, nearly every conversation with Jews abroad ends with “Am Israel Chai, The People of Israel Live,” he said. “What does this mean? I’m mortal, but Am Israel Chai — that’s eternal.”