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Dear Shir Tikvah,
It’s become a routine in our house these last days: our daughters facetime with their grandparents in the Galil, in Northern Israel. The girls chant, “Sefer! Sefer! Book! Book!” and their Saba and Savta read to them about Cookie Monster in the grocery store and Grover on the farm. And in the background, the news is always on. And the questions, whispered, “Have you heard from…?” and “Did you hear about…?” They’re so skilled at making sanctuary in the face of fear. And they’re looking so tired. As they entered bomb shelters today, I just wish they were close enough to hug and never let go.
We’re still processing the agony of the pogroms in the South of Israel and the anguish of escalation. Today, we must absorb news of a possible front opening in the North. The scope of the atrocities is incomprehensible. We reach for each other. Pray for the release of all hostages. We’re holding the heartbreak of this moment, the impossibility of facing what has already happened. We brace for what will be.
Many of us at Shir Tikvah have personal and family connections to Israel and to Palestine, to Palestinians and to Israelis. Many of us are gripped by terror, raging or grieving or shaking with both. There are those of us in this community who have dear ones who have been taken hostage, who have been murdered, who are still missing, who are in danger. I pray our community will turn to each other, with love and concern, and make space for each other’s grief. We are proud activists; let us also be devoted partners, friends, parents, children, neighbors, community members. Let us be artisans of showing up for each other, to comfort each other and attend to each other’s broken hearts.
Especially in times of terror, it can be so easy to pull apart at the seams - of ideology, experience, analysis. In this time of unimaginable grief and deep fear, in this time of shake, I pray that we - the beautiful, complex, prayerful fullness of our community - hold together. That we center those who are in acute grief. That we slow down together. Let us honor the experiences of our neighbors - even and especially those that challenge us. I pray that Shir Tikvah will be a resource for you, a sanctuary for you, in and through this terrible time.
The rabbi team is available to accompany you, with the fullness of our broken hearts. Please offer a prayer for captives, recite Psalm 130, and contribute to organizations on the ground. Call your people and give them hizzuk (strength). Call your people and ask for the comfort you need. Show up in community tonight and for Shabbat, in song, in prayer, in grief and commitment. Let us not let each other navigate this time alone.
עושה שלום במרומיו
הוא יעשה שלום עלינו
ועל כל ישראל
ועל כל יושבי תבל
ואמרו אמן
Rabbi Arielle
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