Last month, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas invited nearly 50 leaders from the Dallas Jewish and Christian communities to travel to Israel to bear witness, speak with survivors and family members of hostages, and console a grieving nation. It was a powerful and riveting experience, in large part because of the already-close bonds that are shared between Dallas and Israel.

Some in our group arrived early or stayed late to spend time visiting family. For those of us with loved ones in and personal connections with Israel, the war with Hamas is not a remote conflict happening halfway around the world, but a real-time, daily trauma.

During our mission, we visited Mount Herzl, Israel’s version of Arlington National Cemetery. We moved somberly among the graves, noting men and women who died on Oct. 7, and in the days since, as recently as the week before.

We passed the grave of Ben Zussman, whose mother spoke to us on our first night in Jerusalem, and the final resting place of Aner Shapira, a young man who heroically sacrificed his life by tossing multiple Hamas-launched grenades out of the shelter that he and others crammed into, seeking safety from the terrorist onslaught. We gathered together to pay our respects to Binyamin Meir Airley, whose grandparents are beloved members of the Dallas Jewish community.

Connections between Dallas and Israel are myriad. Each week, many Dallasites participate in what has become a walk to amplify the plight of the 134 Jews, Christians and Muslims, many of whom are American citizens, still held captive in tunnels and parts unknown in Gaza.

Over dinner in Jerusalem one night, we were joined by native Dallasite Josh Lynn, a product of Dallas Jewish institutions Temple Emanu-el and Akiba Yavneh Academy. Later this spring, he will visit Dallas to amplify the close connections between Israeli and diaspora Jewry. He is one of several Dallasites who have proudly served the Jewish state.

For 25 years, the Jewish community of Dallas has grown a partnership with Western Galilee, including the cities of Nahariya and Akko. The latter is known for its important history as a city where Jewish and Arab citizens live together peacefully.

Our Jewish Federation has proudly supported initiatives that have improved lives for thousands of residents of the region, of all backgrounds. Notably, Western Galilee Medical Center, supported by the Dallas Jewish community, played a pivotal role in treating Syrian civilians affected by civil war across Israel’s northern border. It is now preparing its underground emergency rooms for Hezbollah attacks on Israeli cities in the region.

Using models established through this long-term partnership, the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas has initiated a similar relationship with one of the kibbutzim devastated by the acts of terrorism perpetrated on Oct. 7.

The community of Zikim was targeted that morning by Hamas, with terrorists storming the beach from speed boats. Over an evening discussion with a young mother and her pre-teen daughter, we learned that, were it not for pollution that had made the beach uninhabitable, many of the kibbutzniks would have been celebrating the Simchat Torah holiday by camping on the beach. They would have certainly been slaughtered or kidnapped in staggering numbers.

For the next several years, through funding, resources, and personal connections, these partnerships will rebuild infrastructure, mend social bonds, and foster lasting connections. An early challenge will be to help community members achieve sufficient degrees of psychological safety needed to enable families to return home, even as they are quickly losing patience with displacement. However, despite all these challenges, hope shines through as the community looks toward rebuilding and restoring normalcy.

As this partnership continues to grow over the years, so will the relationships between the people of Dallas and Zikim. These connections create a sense of shared experience, allow pathways for empathy and assistance, and afford Dallas the opportunity to help heal a traumatized community.

Igor Alterman is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. Joel Schwitzer is regional director for American Jewish Committee Dallas.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com