It started like any other day during the summer of 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida. Sara Dorsky and her husband came home from work and let their three kids go outside to play in the pool while they watched them.

“The next thing I know, I turned around and said, ‘Where is Dina?’ I heard the front door open, so I thought she ran outside,” recalled Dorsky. “We couldn’t find her for a minute or so, and then my husband found her in the pool. He called 911, and we went to our neighbor — a very close friend of mine who is a nurse practitioner.”

The nurse worked on two-year-old Dina until the medics arrived and rushed her to the hospital. The doctors tried to revive the little girl, but it was too late.

At the time, Dorsky was in her first trimester of pregnancy, expecting her fourth child. As an Orthodox woman she initially felt angry at God, and then she started talking with him.

“I was mad and I still am,” she said.  “And at the same time, I was just confused. But when you are in the depth of darkness – and you hear it a lot since Oct. 7 –  you feel more connected to God. I told him, please help me through this and the minute I opened myself to God, he did, and he had given me strength to push through.”

What also helped Dorsky was the community that surrounded her throughout her ordeal. Three of her closest friends stayed with her at the hospital, and her house was full of people all the time. Family flew in from across the U.S. and Israel. Her friends created a WhatsApp group to ensure that there would always be someone there for them. The kosher supermarket supplied food and gifts. It was an outpouring of support and love that anyone could ask for in times like this.

Then, one day while visiting her daughter’s grave, she met another grieving mother, Nechama Tauber. Nechama’s three-year-old son, Sholom, had tragically died just a few months after Dina. He had been left in a car after his father dropped off the older children at summer camp. Sholom was the eighth of nine children.

“That day my husband drove the kids to camp, and there was a little change in routine and schedule,” said Tauber. “The kids were so happy that they had gotten to camp a little earlier that day and went to play. My husband dropped them off and went to park his car when he got a call from his office upstairs. He works in the IT department of the school and they needed something urgent. He said, ‘I’ll take care of it,’ and got out of the car. Sholom was still buckled into his car seat in the back.”

At the end of the workday, Menachem Tauber went to pick up his son from his classroom. He expected him to run up happily as he always did, but to his surprise, the teacher said that Sholom hadn’t come to school that day.

“He called me frantically and thought that maybe I had picked him up,” Nechama said. “When I said I hadn’t, he ran to the car and found him there, but it was too late.”

Even now, three years later, it’s still difficult for Nechama to retell the story. At first, there was a lot of anger and confusion over why it happened, but the anger wasn’t directed at her husband; it was directed at God for “allowing” it to happen.

“I couldn’t blame my husband. I love him too much, and I know it could have been me. I felt deeply that this is God’s fault, His plan. I felt like He carried something for me, like God had said that Sholom had to die this way and it didn’t happen to me because I wouldn’t have been able to withstand it.”

A few months later, on Rosh Hashanah, Tauber wasn’t able to pray — she felt very betrayed by God. He had given her this precious little boy and then took him away. Ten days later, on Yom Kippur, she took another approach and began praying, perhaps seeking answers as to why this tragedy had happened.

“I cried from the depth of my heart, and a lightbulb went on, and I said to God, ‘I believe You allowed this to happen, and now You are going to heal me.’”

The healing process is ongoing, and the pain of losing a child will never go away. But out of these unimaginable losses, something beautiful emerged — the two women who met at the cemetery decided to collaborate to help prevent similar heartache for other families.

It started with a phone call from Rabbi Zvi Boyarsky, who asked the Taubers if they would share their son’s story to channel their grief and create a movement that could prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies. 

“In the wake of our story, my husband Menachem and I have learned something tragic: hot car deaths are not rare occurrences. They’re happening right here in our communities — in the U.S. and in Israel,” she said. “People are getting distracted. The biggest thing parents can do is switch that mindset. Don’t close your eyes and say, ‘I love my kids so much, it won’t happen to me.’ Just be aware that these things do happen in our community because our minds can fail us.”

That’s how Team Protect began — with Tauber, Dorsky and a dedicated team of people who understood that these tragedies can be preventable through technology and awareness. They have partnered with emergency response organizations, schools, and communities to create comprehensive safety networks.

On their website, parents can find simple gadgets designed to prevent future tragedies. One is the CleverElly, a simple yet powerful device from another nonprofit that plays a verbal reminder each time a car’s engine shuts off, helping drivers develop the habit of checking the back seat before exiting. The best part: the reminders rotate among 10 different voices and phrases, keeping the warnings fresh and ensuring parents remain attentive. Another is Mylo, by Coral Smart Pool, an Israeli company that has developed one of the most advanced anti-drowning technologies on the market. This initiative has allowed dozens of families to access advanced safety equipment at a heavily reduced price, promoting safer environments for children.

Dorsky emphasized the importance of education and preventive measures. “There are many organizations that provide guidance on securing your pool, installing pool alarms, and advocating for swimming lessons,” she said. She also made sure her baby, born after the tragedy, was enrolled in swimming lessons.

Even though all her children are good swimmers, she and her husband made sure to fence the pool and use various safety devices to alert them if anything went wrong.

“Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five,” she said. “It can happen quickly and quietly, even with adults nearby. I have a friend who told me she was holding her daughter’s hand as they were getting into the pool, and her daughter still had to be pulled out.”

Tauber said that Sholom continues to inspire change. He is doing so through his parents and their “59 Seconds for Sholom” campaign – a global movement that can save countless lives. “His legacy guides us to slow down, to stay present, to cherish each moment and to consciously make space for peace in our lives,” said his loving mother.  

To learn more visit: https://teamprotect.org/solutions/poolsafety/

Several Los Angeles–area rabbis have joined the family of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish jurist who coined the term “genocide,” in urging Pennsylvania officials to review how the Lemkin name is being used by a U.S. nonprofit the family says turns his legacy against Israel.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, together with local rabbis Yitzchak Lasry and Tal Perez, signed letters asking Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) and state officials to act. Their message: using the Lemkin name to accuse Israel of genocide misrepresents the history and moral purpose behind his life’s work.

“Raphael Lemkin’s name was meant to protect the Jewish people, not to be used against them,” said Joseph Lemkin, a New Jersey attorney, partner at Stark & Stark, and founder of the Jewish Bar Association of New Jersey. “When we see his legacy turned upside down, it feels personal, especially after Oct. 7.”

The letters follow a family complaint filed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 29 asking the state to review public uses and registrations of the Lemkin name by the organization. As one example, the family points to an “Active Genocide Alert” the group posted on Oct. 13, 2023, days after the Hamas attack, which the family says misstates Lemkin’s intent.

Lemkin said the response has been broad and local. “We’re hearing from survivors’ families, community members and rabbis here in Los Angeles,” he told the Jewish Journal. “It’s moving to see how many people want to keep the Lemkin name sacred, above politics.”

He added thanks to Rabbi Hier and the LA rabbinic community. “Rabbi Hier built a life’s work around Holocaust memory and fighting hate,” Lemkin said. “To have his voice, and the voices of other LA rabbis, stand with us matters a great deal.”

The organization at the center of the dispute denied the allegations. 

Maimon Miller served as a Rabbi at the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan and at Aish San Diego. He is currently a transformational life coach and owner of an immigration law firm.

Award-winning journalist Erin Nolan hosted the Friends of the Israel Defense Force (FIDF) Gala, held at the Fairmont Plaza Hotel in Century City. Nolan previously hosted a weekly national affairs program, “Erin,” on Sky News Australia. After Oct. 7, she became outspoken in her support of Israel, which led to death threats and relentless attacks on social media. 

Standing on stage before an audience of FIDF donors, Nolan shared that her father, a soldier, taught her to stand up for what is right, no matter what the obstacles are. “If you had told me that after condemning what happened in Israel on Oct. 7 it would be controversial, I would have said no way — but that’s exactly what happened.” In December 2024, her support for Israel cost Nolan her job at Sky News. Days later, she traveled to Israel where she visited the Nova site and met with families of hostages and survivors. 

Even though she already knew she was standing with the right side, once Nolan was there, she understood the magnitude of the events. It’s one thing hearing the numbers, 251 hostages and over 30,000 wounded and another to hear first-hand what it means to be a hostage or a wounded soldier or civilian. Some of the victims of the Oct. 7 attack attended the gala, including two former hostages, a bereaved father, and a wounded Israeli soldier who admitted he could stand and speak only with the aid of heavy medication.

The impact of the war on Captain Barak Deri will last his entire life. He sustained severe injuries after a Hamas grenade was thrown at him in Gaza, and his chest was riddled with metal shrapnel. Since December 2023, when he was wounded, he has spent a year in the hospital, undergone dozens of surgeries and endured countless hours of physical therapy. Yet, nearly two years later, his life still revolves around managing constant pain, with no hope of a full recovery.

Still, Deri does not feel sorry for himself, nor does he blame anyone. This is not his first visit to the U.S.; he has spoken before at various forums, synagogues, schools and universities. Speaking with The Journal, he admitted that sharing his story doesn’t necessarily make him feel better, but he sees it as his mission. He wants people to know what happened — and he sees the impact it has on them.

Standing with the help of his walking stick, Deri recounted the events of Oct. 7. That morning, his three brothers were at the Nova music festival. After hearing the news, he left his home in Tel Aviv and headed south. He faced a difficult decision: join his unit and head to Kibbutz Be’eri, which was under attack, or go and search for his brothers. He chose to join his unit, hoping his brothers would survive.

Once his unit arrived in Be’eri, they fought hundreds of terrorists, moving from house to house to save as many families as possible, sustaining heavy losses in the process. One of Deri’s closest friends died in his arms, and he witnessed horrific scenes of death and destruction. Later, he was diagnosed with PTSD. A few months after that, while joining a rescue operation in Gaza to free hostages — including Americans Judith and Natalie Raanan — he was severely injured.

Before Oct. 7, Deri had never fired a weapon. During his military service from 2011 to 2017, he served in intelligence within an elite unit. After Hamas’ attack, he was transformed into a combat soldier.

During a battle in Gaza, as Hamas terrorists closed in on him and shot at close range, Deri contemplated taking his own life rather than being captured. Somehow, he managed to throw a grenade at them and survived. Despite his injuries and constant pain, Deri says he remains optimistic about the future and about peace in the Middle East.

A bereaved father, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dedi Simchi — former Fire and Rescue Commissioner of Israel — spoke about his son, Guy, who was only 20 when he was killed on Oct. 7. Guy was a paratrooper, but that day he was on a break and attending the Nova festival. He showed extraordinary courage, saving the lives of his friends by getting them into a protected shelter in a home at Kibbutz Re’im. Though unarmed, he refused to hide and insisted on defending the house alongside his friend, a member of the elite Maglan Unit. Two terrorists who entered the home were killed by Guy and his friend, but not before one threw a grenade into the small living room where they were sitting.

Two of the friends Guy saved attended the gala and spoke of the incredible young man who gave his life for others. Simchi recalled how he tried to reach his son by phone but, when there was no answer, he put on his uniform and drove to Kibbutz Re’im, arriving at 2 a.m.

“I told the soldier stationed at the entrance to Kibbutz Re’im that my son was lying there, dead,” Simchi said. “They recovered him, I hugged him, and took him to Rammalah, where they were bringing those who were killed.”

“My son, I love you and miss you,” Simchi said. “We will never forget and never forgive. Yet, out of this, we will rise and change the Middle East. Lions like those you’ve seen tonight — and like my son, who fought with his bare hands to save his friends — are the true and secret weapon of our nation.”

Among the guests were Sasha Troufanov, 29, and Sapir Cohen, 31, who were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they had gone to visit Sasha’s family. That morning, terrorists stormed the home, murdering Sasha’s father, Vitaly, and abducting Sasha, his mother, grandmother and Sapir.

The two were separated in captivity. Sapir was released after 55 days, while Sasha remained in captivity for 498 days. Upon his release in January of this year, Sasha learned that his father had been murdered on Oct. 7. His mother and grandmother were freed after 52 days.

Sasha, who sustained injuries to both legs, now uses crutches and continues to cope with pain. It was later revealed that he had been held by the Islamic Jihad and kept alone, away from the other hostages.

During the gala, it was announced that the couple had recently become engaged — and the room erupted in cheers. After everything they had endured, their love, courage and hope stood as a powerful reminder that even in the face of unimaginable darkness, the Israeli spirit prevails.

FIDF President Simon Etehad thanked the guests, including Consul General Israel Bachar, Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian, and U.S. Representative Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).

“For nearly 45 years FIDF has been the trusted partner, delivering any program service that the IDF requested,” Etehad said. “We have touched the lives of nearly 500,000 soldiers and their family members. While the brave soldiers are fighting for Israel’s right to exist, we as a community, have the moral, financial, and political responsibility — as Jews living outside of Israel — to support and advocate for Israel.” 

The gala raised over $9 million, including donations of $1 million from Leo David and $4 million from Claire and Dennis Singer.