Beth Shalom Stands with Israel
Message from our Rabbi:
Who would have thought that in the wake of the vicious attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 that so many would turn against Israel and her very right to exist? Who would have thought that we would see an explosion of antisemitism making us concerned about our safety, even here in our country? This is the hate and trauma that Jewish people have been feeling deeply since that dark day.
But let’s not forget something about the Jewish people. We have been here before. We have survived, and we have emerged even stronger. Time and time again, when the Jewish people found themselves on the ropes and in despair, we cried out, “Am Yisrael Chai – the People of Israel live!” Am Yisrael Chai affirms that despite all the attempts to annihilate us. Thanks to the tenacity and resilience of the Jewish People, and thanks to the miracles of God’s help, we are here, we will survive, and we will flourish!
Just as the generation after the Holocaust asked their parents, “What did you do while Jews were being exterminated?” … someday our children and grandchildren may look back and ask us: “What did you do today when Jews in Israel and around the world were under attack?” We who are here today – in this synagogue and in every synagogue - we are the ones who must pick up the slack to help keep our families safe.
We survived Pharaoh
We Survived the Greeks
We Survived the Romans
We Survived the Inquisition
We Survived the Russian Pogroms
We survived Hitler
We overcame the Germans
We overcame the Holocaust
We won against 7 Arab nations hellbent on wiping Israel off the map.
Our people have thrived despite every adversity we have faced. And we have another secret weapon, our Torah. We have carried our portable homeland, the Torah with us for millennia, and much of that time without much optimism. We survived because, even when we did not have a state, we carried the Torah with us, and brought it to our communal spaces, just like here in our beloved synagogue Beth Shalom.
That fills me with hope, and I hope that you feel it too, and that we all will draw on that sense of connection as they face whatever comes our way.
With prayers for strength and healing,
Rabbi Mark Zimmerman