Our goal was to communicate that a synagogue in Florida has not stopped thinking of Gilad and his plight.
When that animal terrorist attacked Itamar and murdered many members of the Fogel family, memorials were held, monies were raised and the statement that we will never abandon the surviving Fogel children was pledged. But in truth, the Fogels became yesterday’s tragedy and now the Jewish community, perhaps correctly so, is obsessed with the murder of Leiby Kletzky. Projects have been initiated in his memory, funds are being collected on his family’s behalf and a baby was even named for him this week. But how long will it take until the Jewish community forgets about the Kletzkys and moves on to the next crisis, emergency or tragedy?
As the three weeks have begun, we would do well to remember that a commitment to unity, an effort to be part of one big close knit Jewish people, means never forgetting or moving on from both those that have caught our nation’s attention and those that suffer in anonymity.
Over five years ago, a young soldier, Gilad Shalit was taken captive by our evil enemy dedicated to our destruction. One shudders to think under what conditions Hamas is housing Gilad. We said then we won’t rest until he is home and yet, here we are over five years later with no meaningful progress made.
This week, my family and I visited with Gilad Shalit’s father, Noam, outside the Prime Minister’s residence where he sits in vigil for his son. Though only the return of his son will bring true comfort, our goal was to communicate that a synagogue in Florida has not stopped thinking of Gilad and his plight.
May we merit a time in which we only share good news and move from one happy event to another.
Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land
Wouldn’t it be great, if we could realize our mutual commitments to one another by bringing our entire BRS family on aliyah.
July 29, 2011 by urjnetworkadmin • Rabbi
Each visit to Israel increases my love and connection to this remarkable country, land and people. When in Israel, it is impossible not to feel that Jewish destiny is unfolding here and that those in the diaspora, while great sources of support, are essentially spectators.
To be a serious Jew one must be serious about a commitment to Israel. The Torah and our tradition are replete with statements that place Israel and Yerushalayim as central in our lives. When I return, I look forward through sermons and classes to articulating some of the many reasons that Israel is such a blessing and gift in our lives, but for now, allow me to share just one.
I was walking today in the vicinity of the tragic funeral of R. Elazar Avuchatzera who was brutally murdered just last night. The streets were congested, the traffic was heavy and the police where doing their best to keep things under control. One driver was particularly frustrated that the officer had closed off a certain street and he left his car, walked up to the policeman and was not shy in voicing his objection.
Observing this aggressive exchange, my first thought was that in America, a civilian would never speak so freely to a member of law enforcement. And then I realized that while his tone was inexcusable and wrong, there was something paradoxically beautiful about it. You see, in America, a policeman is a total stranger, unfamiliar, distant and imposing. In Israel, absolutely everyone, policeman or civilian, is a member of the family, a brother or a sister with whom there is an implicit comfort level. Essentially, this driver was saying, ‘achi,’ my brother, why are you stopping traffic here, it’s inconvenient to me.
Ten years ago, my sister and her family made aliyah to Modiin. Just this week, my brother and his family arrived on a nefesh b’nefesh flight to their new home in Alon Shvut. That leaves me as the only child in my family not living in Israel, a feeling that is awkward, upsetting and in some ways lonely. I am deeply grateful to the BRS community for the commitment you have shown me for the next ten years, and rest assured you have my family’s commitment back for that long and beyond. But wouldn’t it be great, if we could realize our mutual commitments to one another by bringing our entire BRS family on aliyah.
My friends, as I often say, while there are many legitimate reasons not to move to Israel right now, there are no legitimate reasons not to struggle with how and when we can make aliyah a reality. May our collective migration to Israel be hastened and expedited by the arrival of Moshiach, speedily in our days.