Der Mensch Tracht, Un G-tt Lacht, goes the adage in Yiddish. Man plans, and G-d laughs.
A much-anticipated delegation from Israel’s north arrived in Minnesota on June 12 to deepen connections between Sovev Kinneret and St. Paul. The visit had already been rescheduled in the aftermath of October 7.
The participants included four municipal leaders – Yossi Neveah, mayor of Tiberius; Idan Greenbaum, mayor of the Jordan Valley Regional Council; Nitzan Peleg, mayor of the Lower Galilee; Eli Gabay, deputy mayor of Kvar Tavor – along with an official from the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Hours after arriving in the North Star State, the Israelis’ phones shrieked in unison during a welcome dinner hosted by St. Paul Federation P2G committee members. Amidst a backdrop of kosher tacos and relaxed chats, the alerts activated by Israeli authorities following Operation Rising Lion instantly changed the mood.
Together, the Israeli delegation and St. Paul community members quickly processed the news that the Israel Defense Forces had executed strikes within Iran, and Israeli civilians were preparing for reprisal attacks.
As Iran launched drones and ballistic missiles toward their region, the mayors were far from relieved to be away from a war zone. The sun rose above the Kinneret; they worked with resolve and urgency on behalf of their citizens through the night in Minnesota, arranging evacuations and opening shelters.
“It was clear that they believed it was critical to get home as quickly as possible,” said Aaron Biel, P2G Committee member and president of the board of Talmud Torah of St. Paul. “The mayors were solely focused on the safety of their communities and doing their part to fulfill the missions of protecting their citizens and their families.”
Biel witnessed the mayors’ concern for their communities and loved ones over the ensuing days and waves of missile attacks. It’s a heartache he understands firsthand. The shrill alert from the Home Front Command app that interrupted the mayors’ welcome dinner in Minnesota also woke Israelis at 3 a.m. their time – including Biel’s sister, Ariel Waters.
With Israeli airspace closed, the mayors worked for several days from the U.S. on behalf of their municipalities while also doing their best to achieve their mission of connecting with the Jewish community of St. Paul. Carrying on with a modified schedule of engagements, they visited the Minnesota JCC Capp Center and Camp Butwin.
Through it all, the mayors shared updates with Minnesotans about the war’s impact – sometimes literal impact – back at home.
“They showed me photos of families sheltering from rocket fire, images of damaged homes, and described how power outages were complicating evacuation efforts and endangering public safety,” said David Kaplan, CEO of the St. Paul Jewish Federation.
Wherever they went, the St. Paul community was ready to embrace them and face the uncertainty together.
Trevor McSpadden and his wife, Sarah Weinman, hosted Shabbat dinner for the mayors and a few dozen community members. Without ignoring the heaviness of the moment, the evening was one of warmth and powerful connection.
Dinner participant Jessica Ostrov first forged a bond with the Sovev Kinneret region when she lived on Kibbutz Afikim for a stint in her twenties. It was especially meaningful to meet and exchange stories with Mayor Greenbaum of the Jordan Valley, whose municipality encompasses “her” kibbutz.
2024 St. Paul Jewish Federation Mission on the Israel-Jordan border with Jordan Valley Council Mayor, Idan Greenbaum. (Courtesy: Trevor McSpadden)
For dinner host McSpadden, the opportunity to extend hospitality to Mayor Greenbaum and introduce him to his wife and children was personal – and almost surreal. The two first met last year when McSpadden participated in the St. Paul Federation Mission to Israel.
“Never did I think he’d be standing in front of me in my own dining room!” he said. “I was so grateful to share a bit of my life with him. I hope the delegation feels like a part of our community and is strengthened by the support we can offer. The physical distance between our homes is vast, but on that evening, the world felt small.”
Mission participants reunited to dine with the mayors, recalling their first meeting with Mayor Greenbaum last year. With sweeping views of the Jordan Valley behind him, the mayor had captivated the group with descriptions about years of working with his Jordanian neighbors, including the challenges after October 7th.
Mayors ‘Evacuated’
In light of the needs at home, the mayors returned to Israel early – with the help of the Israeli Air Force on special military flights.
Operation Rising Lion altered the delegation’s plans, but it didn’t change mission success.
“They felt torn from their families and communities,” said P2G Committee member Biel. “Still, the mayors’ delegation proved to build solidarity and understanding between our partnership communities, including in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.”
Before the mayors’ arrival in St. Paul, Biel and other P2G committee members had spent the week together in Milwaukee. The partnership with Sovev Kinneret involves close collaboration between the St. Paul and Milwaukee Jewish Federations.
In Milwaukee and St. Paul, community members and organizations shared about the myriad ways in which antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility are reshaping the American Jewish experience.
“It was powerful,” said Tal Dror Rouache, Israel Program Director at the St. Paul Federation. “The mayors listened with open hearts, and I could see that hearing about our experiences and our solidarity moved them. They realized that the Jewish world is not only watching from afar but also showing up and standing with Israel in any way we can. That mutual support truly deepened the connection.”
Rouache’s professional expertise with the P2G partnership is augmented by her personal knowledge. She’s a transplant to Minnesota after serving as the St. Paul Shlicha and is a native of Sovev Kinneret.
“Bringing these two homes together — even briefly — constantly reinforces the purpose behind the work I do every day,” she said. “I see myself as the bridge between these two communities, and I fully relate to the importance of this partnership and its future. In times like these, connection, communication, and mutual support are everything.”
The mayors and other Israeli delegates are keeping in touch with their P2G friends in St. Paul and Milwaukee, sharing photos, memories, dreams, and — even at the risk of making G-d laugh — making plans for future visits to each other and continuing their P2G work.
