Israel Resources

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Our hearts are breaking – but our resolve is ironclad.

Just days ago, on Yom Kippur, we affirmed, “acheinu hem” – that we see our brothers and sisters in Israel as our worldwide Jewish family…. And yet the festival days of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which are supposed to be the culmination of z’man simchateinu, our time of celebration, were shattered with the shock and horror of a surprise attack on those brothers and sisters. Israelis, our People, were murdered in cold blood, taken hostage, with living and dead bodies dragged through the streets of Gaza. The barbarism of these acts, against civilians and soldiers of all ages, in homes, at music festivals, in ambulances and in the streets, is beyond our worst nightmares. The brutal, inhuman and inhumane acts of Hamas, that were then met with cheers by the population in the streets of Gaza, evoked our emotions of fear, sadness, anger, and despair.

At Adath Israel over these past few days, at multiple services, we gathered in prayer for loved ones, for friends, and for all Israelis. We adapted our prior plans to sing and dance with full-throated joy, muting but not canceling the festival, chanting songs of Israel instead of other melodies, drawing on melodies from the Yom Kippur War, fifty years ago – the last time that Israel was this shocked and vulnerable within her borders.

At synagogue, we reflected on the core line from the Torah about this holiday – “V’hayyita ACH sameach” – which usually translates to “you should be completely happy” – though “ACH” can also mean “yet, but, despite it all.” With this alternate reading, the phrase set the tone for the past two days, and beyond:  We must – however defiantly and affirmingly in this awful moment – insist on continuing our Jewish living, showing love and solidarity and support in the darkest of times, with and despite the reality of the evil that has reared its ugly head. This is the Jewish Way – to affirm life in the face of those who would celebrate death, to refuse to bow our heads to those who see Israel’s very existence as a provocation, and to vow to support Israel’s inalienable right and duty to do all that it must do to protect its citizenry, and to affirm and defend our brothers’ and sisters’ basic human rights to life and security.

Any human being, any citizen of any country, has the right to expect nothing less. For these reasons, “l’vaveinu ba-Mizrach  - our hearts are in the East, with Israel.” News from the Israeli front is developing quickly, so it is difficult to know how best to make an impact, but know that our local Jewish Federation has a “Philly Stands With Israel” Emergency Fund (click HERE) and is planning gatherings in solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters. 

Sadly, we expect the next period to be one of grief, with increased loss of life. While the world has at first expressed its sympathies, we know that Israel must now take decisive action to protect its citizenry and deter future acts of barbarism and terror – and history assures us that the world’s approbation will come all too soon, with calls to cut short Israel’s necessary work, without convincingly destroying Hamas’ capabilities to wreak such terror again. We ask that, in the face of such hateful anti-Israel propaganda, you join your rabbis in solidarity with the Israel and the IDF, sending chizuk (strength) and bolstering the unapologetic resolve of Israel along with the Jewish People worldwide, in ensuring and declaring the words we sang over and again this weekend at Adath Israel:  Am Yisrael Chai  - The Jewish People LIVES and THRIVES for all time.