Dear T’ruah community,
Yesterday, like many of you, I watched in horror as Iran lobbed nearly 200 missiles at Israel, sending so many of our friends and family members into bomb shelters. Most of these were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system, but one Palestinian was killed by a missile in Jericho, and several Israelis were injured between this missile barrage and one from Lebanon earlier in the day.
Just moments before this barrage began, a terror attack in Yafo killed seven people and injured many more. This terrifying escalation followed two weeks of increased violence along the border with Lebanon, with Hezbollah launching hundreds of rockets into Israel, and Israel assassinating high-ranking Hezbollah officials including longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — and sending troops into southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah bases and tunnels there.
While Hezbollah leaders and infrastructure are certainly legitimate targets, especially after a year of near constant rocket attacks and the presence of tunnels leading into Israel, we are also conscious that these attacks have killed Lebanese civilians, and that an extended war in Lebanon — like the last two disastrous wars there — has the potential to leave an unbearable number of Israelis and Lebanese dead.
How do we welcome in 5785 this evening when we are so afraid of what it might hold?
The holiday of Rosh Hashanah invites us to experience fear. Famously, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the only biblical holidays on which we do not sing Hallel, the psalms of praise. At a moment of fear and trembling, when the books of life and death metaphorically sit open, we cannot possibly sing verses of praise. (Talmud Rosh Hashanah 32b) And the very words of the liturgy ask God to grant us fear and awe.
This is certainly a year in which we unfortunately don’t need to be reminded to be afraid.
The High Holidays are always a liminal moment, between the known blessings and curses of the previous year, and the unknowns of the year to come. This year, the unknowns loom especially large. Will the war escalate, or will cooler heads find a path to a ceasefire? Will the hostages return to their families? Will the death and suffering in Gaza end? Will Israelis in the North and Lebanese citizens be able to return home safely? Will there be a peaceful election in the United States, and what will these elections bring? So much hangs in the balance.
In 1941, toward the end of a sermon for Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Esh Kodesh, the rabbi of the Warsaw ghetto, noted that prayers had become more muted in the past year, as it is challenging to maintain strength in one’s prayers when they seem not to be answered, but when the suffering only increases.
“But,” he continues, “King David said, ‘From the depths I call to you,’ (Psalm 130). Not from one depth only, but rather ‘depths’ indicates two depths. For even though after my fall into the first depth I called to you, and not only was I not answered and not saved, but I then fell into the second depth — a depth within a depth, and even so, behold I am strengthened and call to you again.”
This year, we call out from the second — or perhaps third, fourth, or hundredth depth. It may be hard to find our voice, or any remaining strength, in this dark place. But we are not alone there. In his Rosh Hashanah sermon the same year, the Esh Kodesh reminded his listeners that our tradition insists that God, too, suffers when human beings suffer.
Not only do we stand in community — whether physical or virtual — but we also know that God too, is standing with us, sharing our pain, and crying with us.
For many of us, the past year has felt like watching our worst nightmares play out. After all the hours, sweat, and tears we’ve put into warning against fanaticism, striving for shared society, advocating for compassion, so many people — Israelis, Palestinians, and now Lebanese — have been killed, hurt, or displaced.
It may feel impossible to keep going, but we refuse to give in to despair. Rather, let’s allow our own tears to flow, hear the tears of others and of God, and find the strength to cry out from the depths, and to reconnect with those around the world — Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others — who are committed to peace, and to ending this war that threatens us all.
Right now, we need each other more than ever. Here are some ways we will be coming together in the next week, following Rosh Hashanah:
- One Year Later: Community Mourning and Action with T’ruah (Monday, October 7 at 2:30pm ET) Join T’ruah and Rabbis Rachel Barenblatt, Sharon Brous, Ken Chasen, Shira Stutman, and Kelly Whitehead. We will grieve and pray together and also call our representatives to urge the U.S. government to do all it can to end the war.
- Remembering October 7: A Shared Journey of Grief and Hope with the Progressive Israel Network (PIN) (Tuesday, October 8 at 1:30 PM ET) Join T’ruah and PIN, a coalition of 12 organizations dedicated to democracy, equality and peace in Israel, as we remember the victims of that fateful day, lift up the stories of the hostages, and reflect on the impact the aftermath of October 7 has had on Israeli society, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Jewish community.
- One Year After October 7: Impact on Palestinians and the Wider Middle East with J Street and PIN (Thursday, October 10 at 2 PM ET) J Street Policy Center in conjunction with PIN is hosting a follow-on webinar to analyze the attack’s broader impact. It will focus on the devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including on the future of Palestinian leadership, governance, and society. It will also survey the impact of October 7 on neighboring Arab states – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt – as well as Iranian involvement. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion about the continued reverberations of the Hamas massacre and subsequent war in Gaza one year on.
If you’re in New York, there are two in-person opportunities we want to share:
- October 7: Seven Hours of Reflection at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (Monday, October 7 from 12-7 PM) Stop by CBST for a few minutes or a few hours as we read all 150 biblical Psalms in seven parts and create space for prayer and reflection on the past twelve months of violence and trauma, fear and pain, here in our communities and in Israel-Palestine. In person and on Zoom.
- October 7th: One Year Vigil with Israelis for Peace NYC (Monday, October 7 at 7pm) Please join us in Union Square by the Washington statue to mourn the dead and fight for the living. Please do not bring signs or flags.
We can’t know what 5785 will bring, but we can find strength to face it together.
From everyone at T’ruah, wishing you a sweet new year, shanah tovah u’metukah, and a year that brings expanded and strengthened democracy in the U.S. and Canada, and peace and safety for all Israelis, Palestinians, and everyone in the region.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs (she/her)
CEO, T’ruah