Shai Graucher, the Heart of Israel, speaks

Some of Minister Miri Regev's choices for the torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl sparked controversy, such as the pro-Israel broadcaster Ben Shapiro. Not so with Shai Graucher, a man who seems to represent the warm Israeli consensus, one who loves all the people of Israel and only wants to help every Jew in the country regardless of their origin, political views, or religious approach.

Since October 7, Graucher has been running the organization "Together We Will Win," an enormous charity project through which he manages to provide relief, whether small or large, to many bereaved families, families of hostages, and the many soldiers who are still licking their wounds from the bloody war with Hamas.

We managed to catch the dynamic Graucher for a few minutes to talk about his work. In response to the question of how and why he started this whole project, Graucher said that immediately upon seeing the tremendous suffering following the October 7 massacre, he enlisted together with several donors from the US to reach as many families as possible who were affected by the massacre or the war – "not all of them," he qualified, but certainly a significant portion, and to help them in various ways.

When we asked him what was one of the most joyful moments in his work, he told us about a soldier who was injured and recovered in the hospital and how he managed to arrange a "perfect match" for him with someone, including getting approval and support from the parents in Miami.

Regarding difficult moments, Graucher spoke about the challenge of visiting bereaved families, which led to "not simple" moments. This included his visit to the family of Uri Danino, a soldier who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas, whose parents blamed the Prime Minister for the failure that led to their son's death.

In the end, the ever-loving Graucher always yearns for the return of all hostages – the living to live and the dead to be buried – and that the people of Israel will learn to be like the IDF, where brothers fight shoulder to shoulder regardless of their origin, position, and "which soccer team they support."