Dear friends,We awoke this morning to the devastating news of war in Israel. In a brazen, surprise attack, Hamas terrorists, apparently aided by Iran, have killed more than 100 Israelis. Hundreds more have been injured. News outlets are reporting that hostages have been abducted to Gaza.Our friends in Israel are telling us what no doubt your friends and family are telling you: the situation in the communities in the south near Gaza is quite dire, the likes of which we haven’t seen in many decades. But, as always, we also heard in each of their voices resolve in the face of danger and uncertainty. And this is precisely what we must hold onto as a community united in its love and support for Israel.
We urge you to reach out to your Israeli friends and families via phone, facetime, and message sharing your worry, your love, and your concern. We are, of course, following the news closely, and as the situation continues to unfold, we will find ways to respond and demonstrate our commitment as a congregation. For now, today, though—we invite our community to come together in prayer.
This is all unfolding for us in America on the Shabbat when we also celebrate Sh’mini Atzeret and Yizkor.
We invite all those who are able to join us on our campus this morning. We will dedicate our Torah study at 8:45 a.m. to the Israeli people, the Israel Defense Forces, our families and friends in Israel, including some of our congregation members who are visiting Israel now and just informed us that they are in the north of Israel, removed from the violence in the south.
At 9 a.m., our littlest ones will join together for Tot Shabbat, while at 9:30, our CYE families will gather for study. Together, we will celebrate the magic and the gift of Torah and Jewish learning with them, perhaps the fiercest form of Jewish resistance we’ve developed as a people over the past three millenia.
At 10 a.m., we will offer our Yizkor prayers and, tragically, we will be including in our thoughts the recent dead.
As hard as it might be to imagine dancing with our Torah scrolls on a day like this, we will find the strength together to do just that at 10:30 a.m. We urge you to join us as we hold tight to our tradition and offer prayers, together, for Medinat Yisrael.
Our hearts are heavy this morning but we find strength in community and in the power of our tradition to point us always towards hope, courage, resolve, and healing.Rabbi Yoshi ZweibackCantor Emma LutzRabbi David WoznicaRabbi Ron SternRabbi Sari LauferRabbi Josh KnobelRabbi Eli Herscher