October 7 marks the solemn first anniversary.
These are the individuals we have lost. If you are blessed not to need to attend Yizkor services for lost loved ones this year, show up to share a moment of remembrance for these souls.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/those-we-have-lost/
During Elul, we include Psalm 27 in our prayers. Line 4 is most familiar, performed by the incomparable Chava Mirel and translated by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat:
Only one thing do I ask of You, Yah:
Just this alone do I seek, I want to be at home with you, Yah,
All the days of my life.
I want to delight in seeing You.
Seeing You when I come to visit You in Your temple.
Shabbat Shalom
Another week of anxious anticipation. In Israel, it is peaceful but tense as the Iranian reprisal waits for its moment.
Israelis traditionally use the phrase ‘Laila Tov’ to wish each other a peaceful and restful night.
Many have started using the phrase ‘Laila Shaket,’ wishing for a quiet night.
May this Shabbat be quiet and good and of Peace.
Shabbat Shalom
In preparation for the Amidah, we share V’Shamru.
The Wilson Thicket Band shared this version at Temple Israel, West Bloomfield Mi.
Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom.
And pray to #Bring Them Home!
This Shabbat, peace seems as elusive as ever.
We pray for peace for all seekers of peace and to bring the captives home.
Oseh Shalom bimromav Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael v’al kol yoshvei teiveil, v’imru Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
Jews are using the phrase “we are the canary in the coal mine” as a warning that
anti-Semitism signals growing hatred of all groups in our nation. This idea is profoundly flawed, ironically counterproductive, and requires immediate redress.
The phrase is a desperate appeal to others that they must fight anti-Semitism as it inevitably will lead to hatred against them—that tactic won’t work. People will stand against anti-Semitism because it is wrong. And if they can rationalize anti-Semitism, they won’t care about Jews, canaries, or anyone else. Besides, there is another group that already experiences an institutional brand of hatred: black people and others of color.
People of color have been experiencing hatred and systemic racism for as long as any of us have come to these shores. When we think of Jews as the ones on the front line, we negate the experience of the black community. That is egotistical and shameful and ironically belies the idea embodied in the Canary Phrase. We should be aware of this hatred and align with those others who experience it.
I am not a canary, and I am not in a coal mine. Despite the alarming sharp increase in public displays of anti-Semitism, we live well, thoroughly enjoying so many blessings of this place. We have the power and the means to defend ourselves. And we are. Others do not, and we must help them.
Let us stand against hatred in all its forms besides every one of goodwill. We denounce hatred of any group and work together to fight it on the streets, in the courts, and our hearts. So our country may live up to its aspirations.
We are not birds; we are American Jews standing tall for the values we believe in, and together, we will prevail.
Anti-Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is here. It is ugly and real. It never went away, even though we almost believed it did. This is not a time to cower; it is a time to act decisively and urgently.
Our strength lies in our unity and our shared values. We are not alone in this fight but bound together by a tradition of wisdom and insight rooted in humanity’s best values. With these as our guide, we will overcome.
Let’s shift from sorrow to action. In these challenging times, let our Judaism be our strength. Seek the light and community that fortify us. Stand firm in our beliefs; together, we will construct a world founded on love and kindness. Let’s stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow Jews, extend our blessings to those in need, and illuminate the world. Let’s also reach out to other allies, all people of goodwill, and unite for a common cause. Evil will not triumph. Together, we will flood the world with light, pushing back the darkness to where it belongs.
In response to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s decision to cancel the showing of the film The Child Within Me, I make the following statement:
To the Board of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute
You squandered an essential moment of leadership.
Until this decision, you were a cultural icon and an important voice in our community. But instead of devotion to keeping culture accessible through film, its thoughtful curation, and presentation, you cowed in the face of political pressure. You canceled a film thoroughly unrelated to the war. The only controversy about this film is your decision to condemn it because the Israeli Film Festival sponsors it. Shame on you.
People protesting against the showing of a film is an act of free speech. It does not automatically devolve into violence, and using that as a pretense for canceling is a sign of it is either fecklessness or outright bias against Jews (also known as Antisemitism) and Israel.
Protesters are loud and obnoxious, but they are not violent. Those who attend the festival would find them uncomfortable, but they are not a physical threat. Further, the police of Lower Merion would have done an excellent job of keeping the peace even in this potentially testy situation.
BMFI was an important institution, one I enjoyed participating in and supporting. However, I am deeply disappointed that you have focused on other aspects, neglecting the crucial role of bringing influential films into our community. This decision has undermined the basis for our relationship. I resign from my membership and call on everyone in our community to do the same.
Sincerely
Rabbi David Levin
In our welcome of Shabbat, we share Ana BeKoach, a prayer asking we be released from the spiritual, emotional, and physical things that bind us. It invokes the power of God’s name through Jewish mysticism. In this troubling time, may we be freed.
Shir Appeal shares its acapella rendition with us here.
Shabbat Shalom
