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Dear Community,
We are approaching the moment of shloshim for October 7th. The moment of shloshim for all the Israelis killed in the brutal attack by Hamas. For all the Palestinians killed in response to that attack.
Shloshim, in Jewish tradition, is meant to conclude an official period of mourning. Which does not mean that the grief concludes with shloshim, but, rather, that it is now time to move back into regular life, and integrate that grief into your world. For that grief will be forever with you, changing shape and size throughout your lifetime.
The complication of this moment in particular is that shloshim can not yet end, for the deaths have not yet ended. On October 7th and continuing onward, it has been reported that over 1400 Israelis and over 9,400 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed (and that doesn’t even account for all those injured and the over 200 Israelis still being held as hostages in Gaza). People have been killed every single day since October 7th in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Israel. Therefore, our shloshim will not draw to a close any time soon. It is cascading. It will continue onward until the violence stops.
No wonder we are all still swimming in the depths of grief.
I want you all to know that you all have never left my mind. Every day, every hour, I am thinking of you. Your needs in this moment of so much pain and violence and fear. So I want to share with you all what Or Shalom has planned to continue to hold you through this perpetual period of mourning.
On November 12th from 10 a.m–12 p.m., Or Shalom, along with Ner Shalom of Cotati, will be hosting Rabbi Maurice Harris, Reconstructing Judaism’s Israel Affairs Specialist, for a Zoom Webinar: an analysis of the current state of affairs in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, and the wider region in light of terrible recent events and the ongoing unfolding situation. There are multiple possible trajectories for the next few years in the region, some of them bleak, some of them middling, and some of them actually hopeful. For more information and to register, please click here.
Additionally, save the dates for the Sundays of November 19, December 3, and December 17 at 10 a.m. to hear from different Israeli and Palestinian voices on the ground about their current realities and their vision for a more just, equitable, and peaceful future.
And then, beginning in the secular new year, Or Shalom will enter a facilitated process of dialogue and discernment as to how we, as a synagogue, want to engage with Israel and Palestine moving forward, knowing that we hold a wide spectrum of opinions within our congregation, and that we deeply value diversity and respectful discourse within our community.
In addition to Or Shalom’s offerings, Rabbis for Ceasefire will be hosting a virtual Shloshim gathering tomorrow, Monday, November 6th, from 9–9:30 a.m. to mark and mourn the lives lost on October 7th and to learn the Torah of Ceasefire. To register, click here. They will continue hosting daily gatherings at 9 a.m. to continue marking shloshim until every life lost has been sufficiently mourned.
Lastly, if you would like to read my drash on Parshat Vayera from this past Friday’s Shabbat service, you can do so here.
I hope that these offerings, and knowing the roadmap ahead, provides you with some solace in a time when solace is hard to find. Know that I am here to walk beside you, no matter the feeling. All is welcome here.
With deep care,
R’ Faryn
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