As the sun sets in Jerusalem, beginning my second Shabbat here in Israel, I’m praying that the ceasefire put into effect early this morning will hold.

After 11 days of intense conflict, with almost 4,000 rockets fired into Israeli neighborhoods, there is physical damage to repair. But it’s the emotional trauma that will take far longer to heal.

I paid heartbreaking shiva visits to two families whose lives have been upended, their loved ones killed by the rockets. I met with our Israel office staff living in central Israel, who talked about the intense fear they and their children felt rushing to bomb shelters as the sirens sounded. And I was reminded in a meeting with the leadership of the Israel Trauma Coalition, created by UJA after the second intifada and now among the preeminent trauma organizations in the world, that the trauma really only begins to surface after the rockets have stopped.

Beyond the rockets, perhaps the greatest source of trauma these last 11 days is the intense violence that erupted between Jews and Arabs in cities where they’ve lived peacefully together for many decades.

Yesterday, I went to the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood in Lod, the site of much of this violence, whose population is 70 percent Arab and 30 percent Jewish. For years and years, these two groups have lived together harmoniously. Mosques and synagogues sit in close proximity. Arabs and Jews shop in many of the same stores. Strong friendships and connections have been forged between the Arab and Jewish communities, aided by several initiatives long supported by UJA and others.

For over 15 years, UJA has been investing in initiatives that promote “shared society” in Israel. The demographics speak to our motivation: Arab Israelis currently comprise 21 percent of the country’s population and Haredim are 12 percent. If trends continue, by around 2050 the majority of Israel’s population will be Arab and Haredi. Accordingly, the very future of Israel depends on successfully integrating the Arab and Haredi communities into Israeli society, fostering economic empowerment and civic engagement.

Many of our investments focus on creating opportunities for the Arab and Haredi communities to serve in the army and enter the workforce, two critical gateways for successfully integrating diverse groups. We’ve also invested in programs that build bridges on the neighborhood level in communities with mixed populations of Arabs and Jews.

These last 11 days have dealt a serious blow to coexistence in Israel.

I visited a burned out yeshiva and a burned out Jewish home, the physical manifestation of scorched relationships. The Jewish and Arab residents I met were shocked by what had happened. One Jewish father said, with sorrow, that he was now afraid to send his children to their Arab pediatrician who’d treated them for years. Other residents are thinking of moving away. But most I spoke with are committed to staying, refusing to allow a small minority of extremists on both sides to force them away from neighborhoods they’ve long considered home. And it was inspiring to see numerous Israel business leaders as well as mayors in cities across Israel reaffirm the vital importance of coexistence.

Throughout my visit, I’ve been told repeatedly how UJA’s pioneering efforts in shared society have helped develop this field in Israel and that our current programmatic investments are absolutely essential for the future. Hopefully, the groundwork laid by us and others will allow those committed to this work to rebuild stronger for the sake of their communities — and for the sake of Israel.

Recognizing the complexity of the challenges and the enormous need to inform our community about events on the ground here, this coming week UJA is funding a delegation of 25 prominent New York rabbis to Israel. These rabbinic leaders from a cross section of the New York Jewish community are coming to express solidarity with Israel and report back to their congregations — from Reform to Haredi — what is happening in Israel beyond the headlines.

Closer to home, we are facing an alarming flare-up of antisemitic incidents in New York. Yesterday, a firecracker was thrown in the diamond district, a man wearing a yarmulke was beaten in Midtown, a caravan of cars cursed at Jews, and Jewish diners were attacked at a restaurant.

Our Community Security Initiative (CSI), launched in 2019 by UJA and our partner the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, mobilized immediately as incidents unfolded. It’s become clear that these acts of violence were perpetrated against identifiable Jewish individuals in the midst of a pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protest in Manhattan.

CSI remains in constant contact with NYPD, providing real-time updates to UJA and communicating with Jewish institutions directly. They’re also coordinating with law enforcement to increase security for Jewish spaces in our catchment.

This morning I spoke with Mayor de Blasio about the critical importance of having appropriate police presence, as well as the need to act aggressively to prosecute those responsible and deter future acts. We’ve also been in regular contact with the governor’s office and senior police officials about the current situation and the need to be vigilant against antisemitic violence.

It’s clear that, whether in Israel or New York, there are many challenges ahead, and our community must do better in coming together to address them.

But, for right now, I just look forward to the beauty of Shabbat in Jerusalem, a privilege never to be taken for granted.

Shabbat shalom