A follow-up to our October 13 email, this communication aims to educate and inspire our community of BUILDERS (not Destroyers) from all walks of life who seek to promote the good of humanity — in these difficult times and always. As our founder reflected on Masters of Scale, we cannot allow the terrorists to Divide, Destroy, and Diminish us.
Seventeen days since the October 7 Hamas massacre that maimed, raped, burnt alive, and abducted Israeli civilians, the Israeli Defense Forces have been forced to take action to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. The ensuing war has resulted in enormous pain and loss of human life for Palestinian and Israeli people whom Hamas is using as human shields. As Antisemitism and Islamophobia skyrocket, the conflict’s impacts can be felt in most communities worldwide.
Drawing on our decades of work in the Middle East - primarily through PeaceWorks and the OneVoice Movement — we are sharing dispatches from Israel and Gaza.
Over the coming weeks, while continue to address pressing humanitarian needs, we will start paving the way to empower builders everywhere to Unite, Build, and Bring Light to the world. We owe it to the victims of terror, and the countless of innocent lives lost on both sides, to honor their memory not just by dismantling the Hamas terror infrastructure but also by replacing forces of violent absolutism with constructive solutions to fulfill the potential of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to a better future for all of their children.
Updates from the Frontlines
Frontline Impact Project (Corporate in-kind aid effort)
 In partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), Frontline Impact Project is mobilizing in-kind donations to help Israeli victims of terror and to deliver humanitarian support to Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
So far, nine companies have donated shelf-stable food and personal care products to aid relief efforts. The first shipments are leaving the US via airlift early this week.
The need for in-kind donations of food, hygiene items, baby items, and medical supplies continues. If you are a corporation with the ability to donate, click below. | | Darkenu (OneVoice’s Israeli partner)
In solidarity with the The Kidnapped Families’ HQ organization, our Israeli partner, Darkenu, orchestrated the “Empty Table” exhibit in Tel Aviv to visually demonstrate the number of people abducted by Hamas terrorists, and created a kit for communities worldwide to replicate the powerful activation.
With the help of Frontline Impact Project, Darkenu was able to secure relief support for displaced communities in Israel, coordinating 275 requests through 650 volunteers so far.
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From Jerusalem Post: Darkenu’s “Empty Table” exhibit in Tel Aviv
Frontline Impact Project
(Corporate in-kind aid effort)
In partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), Frontline Impact Project is mobilizing in-kind donations to help Israeli victims of terror and to deliver humanitarian support to Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
So far, nine companies have donated shelf-stable food and personal care products to aid relief efforts. The first shipments are leaving the US via airlift early this week.
The need for in-kind donations of food, hygiene items, baby items, and medical supplies continues. If you are a corporation with the ability to donate, click below.
Conversation with Darkenu CEO, Nimrod Dweck, and OneVoice US Director of Outreach, Ezzeldeen Masri
Click above to watch the conversation
As the war escalates, Daniel brought together two voices: Nimrod Dweck, based in Israel and serving as the InterimCEO of Darkenu, and Ezzeldeen Masri, originally from Gaza and now the U.S. Director of Outreach for OneVoice. Through this conversation, and others we will host, we seek to demonstrate the importance — even in times of war — of engaging in open discussions rooted in respect for one another’s shared humanity.
Honoring Heroes: May Their Memories Be a Blessing
Hamas terrorists, like Al Qaeda, ISIS and other forces of darkness before them, who seek to Divide, Destroy and Diminish humanity, must be dismantled to begin breaking the shackles of terror and absolutism in the region. In honor of the beloved family members of our movement who were slaughtered by Hamas — Builders like Yaron, Awad, Yonathan, and others — Jews and Muslims alike — we recommit ourselves to Unite, Build, and Be a Light to Humanity.
Yaron Shay
Yaron Shay is the son of our partner Izhar Shay, who chairs OneVoice’s Israeli partner, Darkenu, a movement dedicated to rule of law, democracy and co-existence. Yaron was slain by terrorists as he and two other soldiers successfully fought off dozens, and possibly hundreds, of terrorists seeking to destroy a civilian community. We know that other communities were destroyed - whole families assassinated, babies decapitated, families burnt alive, many kidnapped. Yaron’s heroism saved lives.
Awad Darawshe
Awad was a Muslim paramedic who rushed to the scene of the music festival massacre in an extraordinary act of bravery to help save lives and treat the wounded. Tragically, he was killed by Hamas terrorists while tending to other victims, and his ambulance was stolen by Hamas and taken into Gaza. Awad will be remembered as a model of bravery and coexistence.
Awad’s cousin, Mohammad Darawshe, is Director of Strategy at the Givat Haviva Center for Shared Society, and co-founded the OneVoice Movement 20 years ago. Last week, President Biden visited Israel and shared his condolences with those, whose families were victims of terror, including Mohammad.
Shafik (Yonathan Richter)
Kobi Richter, Darkenu’s prior Chairman, is a builder whose contributions to humanity are extraordinary. A highly decorated air force pilot, Kobi built a coalition of Israeli and Palestinian tech entrepreneurs for peace. He is the inventor and founder of several multibillion dollar companies, including Medinol, which invented many of the heart stents used today to save lives, and Orbotech, a leading microelectronic producer. Kobi’s family was also touched by terror when his nephew, Yonathan, was killed by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival.
Shafik (Yonathan Richter), was a spiritual man. He lived in Ein Hod, a place dedicated to arts, and had two daughters. Yonathan was a member of a group called "Anashim Tovim" (Good People). They go to large events such as festivals, and help people in distress. This is what Yonathan sought to do at the Nova music festival before terrorists ended his life.
After visiting his sister’s home, Kobi traveled to visit Mohammad Darawshe’s family to pay condolences to their family. Jewish and Muslim families bound by pain. Both young men fell in the same hour in the same location. Even more, they are bound by the determination to join forces to defeat terror and replace it with something positive.
Mohammad shared, “They didn’t know each other before, but their souls are now connected forever.” |
From our Founder: Don’t Let Your Spirit be Diminished
“Many years ago when I saw the movie Life is Beautiful, I was overcome with guilt. I found myself laughing during moments of comic relief amidst the horrors of the Nazi invasion. I wondered: was there any laughter when my Dad was in the bunkers of the Dachau concentration camp? I called my Dad and asked him.Here is what he said. His answer was a reminder that - even in the darkest of times — we cannot allow our spirits to be diminished.” — Daniel
Ways to Donate
There are many solid organizations helping Israeli victims of terror that also treat and support Palestinian civilians impacted by the war. Here are several we have vetted and supported: |
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This is a communication of the Lubetzky Family Foundation, a non-profit 501(C)3 organization fostering empathy and critical thinking to build resilient democracies and safeguard humanity.