“And all who work with the community should labor with them for the sake of Heaven, for the merits of our ancestors sustain us” (Pirkei Avot 2:2).
It has been a challenging two-and-a-half months of war, not just on the battlefield but on social media, during dinner conversations, in painful disagreements with strangers and friends. I saw lifelong friends post words so deeply antisemitic that it cut me to the core. I witnessed family and friends clashing, holding onto such strong claims of being on the right side, the only side of justice. We continue to experience such a wide range of emotions from grief to rage to disbelief.
And yet, as if it were a miracle amidst so much turmoil, we find strength in our faith and in our community. Our sanctuary and study sessions are filled with people who want to connect with each other, with our tradition. On October 8, our sanctuary held two thousand people who came together to weep and sing (and over 40 thousand more joined us online). American Jews raised over a billion dollars for Israel in just the first month of the war. There is an unshakeable sense of community, and even though some relationships have been damaged, so many others feel strengthened and renewed.
My cantorial school class is made up of eight people. We are two bassi, two tenors, two mezzo sopranos and two lyric sopranos, making up a perfect octet. For five years, we sang in harmony and disputed rabbinic texts and shared our deepest emotions. When school ended and we all moved across the country, it became difficult to stay in touch. But since October 7, our group text chain lights up daily. One of our classmates has a son on active duty in Gaza, and she sends us frequent updates on his well-being. We check in on each other and ask what music others are using to connect their congregations to Israel more deeply. The heaviness of this time has brought us back together, reminding us of our connection and shared purpose.
All of the misunderstanding and hatred we might experience cannot outweigh the powerful connections we sustain with our fellow Jew, especially during difficult times. As Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote, “We can endure much more than we think we can; all human experience testifies to that.” And I think, more than just enduring, we as a People can thrive and find great meaning in our deeply held connections and mutual aspirations.
– Cantor Emma Lutz
