From the Stephen Wise Temple Community to the Nessah Synagogue Community:
Your sanctuary, your place of assembly, your source of comfort, the place where you affirm your connection to our people and our God has been violated. Our hearts cry out with you in solidarity and deep compassion over the upheaval endured by your community and, because we are united in faith, by all of us.
Our houses of worship connect us, they bring us comfort, and they are the sacred spaces where we celebrate the most meaningful moments of our lives. In the face of those who would disturb and disrupt our well-being, our response must be to reaffirm our ties to one another, our commitment to our people, and our solidarity with all those of goodwill throughout our land who stand in opposition to the forces of evil that seek to undermine our vigor.
The Stephen Wise Temple community stands with you and by you. May you find strength in each other’s commitment and in the enduring power of our people to persevere in the face of those who would unsettle us. As the holiday of Hanukkah approaches, and we celebrate rededicating holy space, may you take heart from the resilience and strength of the Maccabees.
Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live.