Solidarity With Israel (Photo by Fred Wagner)
More than 50 members of the Tikvat Israel community gathered to show their solidarity with Israel in response to the recent wave of terrorist attacks. Congregants read the names, photos and descriptions of the victims and the loved ones they have left behind.
Cantor Helzner chanted the el molei rachamim prayer for the dead, and Rabbi Shull led us in responsive readings and encouraged us to donate to One Family fund, which supports the victims of terrorism in Israel.
Below are remarks by Rabbi Shull and by synagogue President Melanie Grishman, who wrote from Israel.
Compelled by these words of the prophet Isaiah, we gather this evening in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Over the past two weeks they have suffered through bloody and murderous attacks at the hands of their Arab/Bedouin neighbors. Knifings and shooting perpetrated by those who live among them, adults and teens, men and women, filled with hate, seeking to terrorize.
Tonight, we stand together and say, “We will not remain silent.” Our brothers’ pain is our pain, our sisters’ suffering is our suffering. Their plight is our plight, their fight is our fight!!
Tonight we mourn the dead and pray for the wounded. Our thoughts also turn to the good people of peace throughout the world who are also victims of terror.Tonight, we dare not give up our yearning for peace, and we dare not relent in our unwavering support for the State of Israel, our homeland and our hope.
Remarks from Israel by Melanie Grishman:
Today was my fourth day in Tel Aviv. There is no visible sign that people are changing their activities. Young people are going to work on scooters bikes and skate boards. Many have electric bikes which look really cool.
My cousins and I started today with a visit to Independence Hall, or Beit Haatzmaut. Hearing Ben Gurion’s voice and the subsequent playing of Hatikva brought goosebumps to my arms. Later in the day we Visited Ayalon Institute in Rehovot where young Jews risked their lives making bullets in secret for the Haganah.
We have not felt any anxiety from the recent violent acts; conversely, we have felt very safe. The disturbing thing is that these acts are being carried out by individual Israeli Arabs who have been incited by mullahs and others from maybe the West Bank or Gaza. The Arab leadership has not condemned these acts; they have only condemned the Israeli police for retaliation to the perpetrators. The fact that these incidents are not being carried out by organized groups makes them all the more dangerous because they will be harder for the police to prevent.
Tomorrow we head North to Haifa, Caesarea, Akko and ultimately Kfar Blum, where we will stay for the next few days. We will visit more sites which attest to our presence here in Israel for many decades, and we will continue to be here for many decades. The same courage that those youth had who risked their lives making bullets is present in our people today. It makes me ever prouder to be a Jew when I see how the people here carry on life with confidence in the future.
Shalom to all!
