“In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.”
— David Ben Gurion
On Saturday April 13, as citizens of Israel were enjoying their day of rest, Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles in its first direct attack on Israeli territory. For Israelis and Jews and lovers of Israel around the world, it was a day of great trepidation and anxiety. Thankfully, Israeli forces and the Iron Dome were able to intercept most of the 300 missiles and drones and there were no casualties (although a young girl was severely injured). Indeed, as Ben Gurion so wisely said, to believe in Israel is to believe in miracles—the miracles of protection, safety, and survival.
Perhaps just as miraculously as the missile interception was the joyful spirit exhibited by Israelis the following day. Israeli newspapers and social media posts showed people in Tel Aviv rollerblading, taking exercise classes, enjoying brunch with friends, living life to the fullest. And here at Wise, on the same day, we came together for our annual gala, honoring founders and emerging leaders of our community, and danced with great joy. Our resistance to hatred spewed at the Jewish nation and our people was to celebrate our community itself, our People, as a great miracle.
The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wisely said that “to be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair…Judaism is a sustained struggle, the greatest ever known, against a world that is, in the name of the world that could be, should be, but is not yet.” Even with all of the challenges of the past seven months, we hope for peace and we resist hatred from every direction. I have never been more proud to be a Jew, proud to be a Zionist, proud of our community and our students, and hopeful that we will—somehow—witness the miracle of peace swiftly and in our days.
Am Yisrael chai.
— Cantor Emma Lutz