Dear CAA community,
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel on October 7th. Approximately 100 hostages remain missing, and we don’t know how many of them are still alive. While none of us know the Goldberg-Polin family personally, like many American Jews we feel a special connection to them. We watched their speech at the DNC in awe, and were heartbroken to learn just days later that Hersh had remained alive for almost a full year, before being slaughtered along with five other hostages right before he was found last month. And we are distraught and full of empathy for the non-combatant Gazan men, women and children who have lost their lives, been displaced and seen their homes destroyed in the war. They did not perpetrate the attack and have been caught in the crossfire. Many seek to live their lives in peace, as do most Israelis and others in the region.
And yet there is still much to worry about. Every day we worry about the safety of Israelis in the North, South, and Central areas who are under constant rocket attacks. We worry for the ordinary Palestinian citizens in Gaza and the Arabs, Christians and Druze living in Lebanon who have struggled under the rule of the Bashar regime and Hezbollah. We pray that a diplomatic solution to end this conflict and bring peace to the region can be found speedily in our day, and that the US Government will continue do everything it can to bring this about. While we hope there is an opportunity for peace, the recent direct rocket attack by Iran makes that less likely and increase our concern for the safety and security of Israel. We pray that the situation does not escalate further.
For those of you who would like to gather in Jewish community to mourn the hostages recently killed, or to observe the first anniversary of this conflict on October 7, we encourage you to attend one of the following virtual programs recommended by Rabbi Talya.
October 6 at 8pm: A Year in Poetry: Marking the Anniversary of October 7
This program will include prayers and poems written by Israelis over the past year. Rachel Korazim is an amazing teacher. If you can’t attend this program but are interested in reading the poems she’s collected, you can buy her recent anthology, called Shiva: Poems of October 7 on Amazon.
October 7 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT: A Day of Memory: Holding Each Other on October 7th, 2024
This event, sponsored by Ritualwell, is described as an hour for grieving, praying and sharing, led by two beloved Ritualwell facilitators who live in Israel: Rabbi Haviva Ner-David and Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein. They will each share about their experiences and perspectives from the last year and lead us in opportunities for creative expression.
We also recognize this is a very troubling and complex situation and that sometimes it’s helpful to have someone to talk to. If you would like to speak with Rabbi Talya about how you are currently feeling about this matzav (situation), please reach out to her anytime. She is happy to talk and understands that within our community there are a range of feelings and responses, all of which are legitimate.
However, we believe that we cannot let our feelings fracture us as a community. We loved each other before October 7th and we must love each other equally, if not more strongly, after October 7th. We have always been stronger together than we are divided. We can do more together than apart. Regardless of anyone’s political leaning, we should continue to respect each other and talk with each other. We are better TOGETHER as Jews and as a community. It has been how we have survived persecution through the ages. And with the rise of anti-Semitism here and abroad, the key to a brighter future.
Our compassion and connection to each other has always been a foundational strength of Congregation Agudas Achim and is how we will get through this stronger on the other side.
The Board of Trustees: Molly, Glenn, Tristan, Lee, Barbara, Toni, Donna and Jeff
Rabbi Talya
