Bring the hostages home from Gaza. #bringthemhomenow #bringthemallhome

I’ve been collecting sermons and articles and messages because 1. I want to appreciate the folks who are doing this hard, holy, loving work; and 2. I want to share these words. We cannot be silent, and we will stick together.

From Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback -“Es Brent,” It Burns: Grab a Bucket and Douse the Flames – Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s message from the LA Jewish Community Vigil for Israel hosted by Stephen Wise Temple on October 8, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&fbclid=IwAR31my2TVKKE-o19p35SVxaS68IPqyXc4mITpyErYsFxtGwKeZTCKDys2WA_aem_AaXnBK-oKSzwj-sCvkl-TFLrzFd3cNZQfRW9orG9hZ1A-1IUDCUOWv9uxM7VeUrF7U8&v=atXmTiDL5yI&feature=youtu.be&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

“Colonizers do not have thousands of years of history in the land they colonize – as the Jews do in the Land of Israel. Colonizers do have a home country that they can de-colonize to, unlike the Israelis.” – Rabbi Rachel Timoner – Shabbat B’reishit 5784 – Response to the Tragedy in Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKo0rxAZ_hc

From Rabbi Michelle Pearlman – “Here is a sermon I gave last Friday (10/20/2023). I asked our interfaith partners to come, and we had a packed house. We stand with Israel.” https://clipchamp.com/watch/qp0zvBArWC6

From Rabbi Jill Maderer – https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/israel-hamas-gaza-war-questions-humanity-20231020.html

More Messages:

From Dr. Rachel Adler – “I’m awed by the courage, generosity, and creativity of ordinary Israelis, protecting and caring for people who have suffered, when your so called ‘elected political leaders’ are about as useful as a broken arm. I hope we in the golah can learn from you.”

From Rabbi Karyn Kedar – “By day sixteen I put on my makeup again. Neutrals to even out the dark shadows. I reached for a soft grey eyeliner, just a bit of definition around the sadness. Mascara of course. So that my eyes would open. I can’t figure out if this is depression or mourning. But my eyes know. They know what they have seen and they know that this is so much more than war. You can eradicate a terrorist, even thousands. But only God knows how to eradicate evil. And God doesn’t know. But none of that is for me to say. I am only a poet, sitting on the lake’s edge. And the sun rises. And the blood kisses the horizon. And the turning of foam into itself. And the autumn tree turned burnt orange catches the fury. And the sounds, never ending sound of the illuminated waves, coming to shore, leaving again, returning again, leaving. And a man crosses the lake standing on a paddle board. I can’t see his features, just a silhouette upon the water, against the framing sky. I want to scream above the sound of the waves, I want to shout straight into the heart of beauty, I want to wail into the relentless sun rising and say: Don’t you know?! Don’t you know!!! This is a dangerous world. And in the morning, on the battlefield, the IDF commander orders his soldiers to brush their teeth and to shave their darkened face, lest they forget their humanity.”

From Rabbi Suzanne Singer – “Please let your friends know that we are heartbroken for them, that we stand 100% with Israel, and that we send them a cyber hug. Praying for peace soon and in our day.”

Articles to Read and Share:

Also from Rabbi Rachel Timoner – Do Not Take the Mezuzah Off Your Door – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/opinion/israelis-palestinians-torah-humanity.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

From Dara Horne – Why Jews Cannot Stop Shaking Right Now – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/22/opinion/hamas-israel-jews-massacre.html

From Dr. Stephen Windmueller: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/in-this-moment-israel-at-war/

After unthinkable horror, a new Jewish paradigm

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/hamas-covenant-israel-attack-war-genocide/675602/ I really like The Atlantic. I know it costs money and the articles are not short. However, I really think their authors/editors are very thoughtful and thorough researchers. No paper or magazine is perfect, but the last time I was mad at one of their articles/journalists was three or more years ago, so I guess they are mostly reliable.

This is a very good book! https://jps.org/books/zionist-idea/ Hertzberg’s The Zionist Idea!

Some feel good stuff:

THIS is my favorite article. It is not 100% happy because war is bad, but it’s a good article. It’s obviously horrible and tragic, BUT it does really emphasize the toughness of Israelis. It aims to give readers a small bit of hope. https://www.timesofisrael.com/coffee-and-cookies-how-a-hostage-kept-her-terrorist-captors-distracted-till-rescue/

This is the video with David Broza and the soldier Osher Beniso singing “You’ve Got a Friend” – https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyddXevNh6j/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D And this is the article about what happened next – https://newsrnd.com/tech/2023-10-17-after-singing-with-david-broza-and-getting-emotional—the-soldier-received-a-scholarship-to-study-at-%22rimon%22—voila!-culture.BJBZtQ0jWa.html

I know this article is not about Israel, but it’s about the murder of a American synagogue president during this terrible old war. Please read it if you have the so-called bandwidth. it’s important. https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/attytood/samantha-woll-murder-peace-nixon-phillies-20231024.html