Dear Haverim,
The Israel-Hamas War has continued for five months, initiated by Hamas’ wanton and hateful murders and kidnapping on Shabbat morning, October 7. There are still over 100 Israeli and other hostages in Gaza and tragically the bodies of 30 more dead hostages.
“Bring Them Home Now” has become the rallying cry of most Israelis, Jews, and other people of goodwill around the world. There is still widespread support in Israel for the war against Hamas, but also passionate debate over whether the Netanyahu government has prioritized the release of the hostages sufficiently, and whether the level of destruction in Gaza – human and infrastructural – is causing the world to turn against Israel with future dire consequences.
Some university campuses in our country are, at times, unsafe for Jews and frequently in an uproar over the war, and even our upcoming Presidential election might be deeply affected by the polarization within our country over the war.
It’s time for us, as a congregation, to continue our discussions about Israel and the Palestinians that have dominated so many of our Shabbat services since late 2023. While we all share the same pain, we also have diverse views on the priorities of the war, the realistic possibilities of destroying Hamas, how to best get the hostages out as soon as possible, and the steps that both sides will need to take to ensure that the war doesn’t go wider during Ramadan that begins in a few days.
Neither side at this point can fully anticipate or control what the other will do, but we all know that the war will eventually come to an end and that each side will have to show a willingness, in order to engage the support of the world, to express a level of openness to meeting the needs of the other.
Hopefully, “The Day After” of this war will come soon! As the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us: “there is a time for war and a time for peace.”
So, please join us for Shabbat services this Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. during which we will focus on our love and worry for Israel and our pain at this war for all sides. (RSVP here to attend services in person.)
Last year, we observed Israel’s 75th birthday during a time of painful internal polarization over threats to its Supreme Court. May we celebrate its 76th birthday this May with relief, with its hostages home, with its soldiers and citizens safe, and with a hope for, if not peace, a respite from hostilities.
Shavua Tov/Have a hopeful week,
Rabbi Arnie Rachlis
