This was received from UJA Federatiion of NY
Dear Synagogue Clergy, Leadership, and Staff:
“Ein milim” -- There are no words.
The past 48 hours have been horrific. The tragedy of the war in Israel does indeed seem beyond anything that can be expressed. At these moments of horror, the Jewish tradition guides us to community. Standing together we can reflect on what has occurred and gather strength for the days ahead.
We are writing today to share that there will be a vigil and rally for Israel on Tuesday, October 10th at 5 PM in midtown Manhattan near the UN. We invite you and the members of your community to participate. There may be no words, but we can come together to show our support and express our resolve.
Please share the attached flyer about the event with your communities. The exact location will be announced once all the permits come in. Please respond to this email let us know if your community will join us there and if you need any assistance with transportation.
UJA has also opened up an emergency Israel fund to support our partners on the ground. Please feel free to share this link with your communities as well.
Lastly, we are including an invitation to a webinar from our partners at the Jewish Education Project about how to talk to children about Israel. Details are below. We will continue to share relevant resources as they become available.
Thank you for all you do.
In partnership,
Annette Powers and Sophia Cohen
UJA Synagogue Strategy Team
This was received from the OU
The horrors experienced in Israel these past days are indescribable.
Our hearts are broken by the grief of the hundreds of families who have suffered the losses of loved ones, by the pain of the thousands wounded, and by the trauma of entire communities whose sense of security has been upended. We share in the agony of the hostages and their families as they find themselves in the hands of hate-filled captors who do not behave as people.
What can we say? What can we do?
We must pray to G-d. Everyone as an individual and every community should recite with frequency and intensity Psalms 20, 83, 121, 130 and 142.
We must show support financially. Many responsible organizations are raising funds that will provide for real needs. Give wisely and generously.
We must show support personally. Reach out to your family and friends in Israel – even those who you are not regularly in contact with – and share words of care, support, and concern.
We must show support communally. Join your community’s rally for Israel and your shul or community’s Tehillim gatherings.
Finally, we must draw strength and hope by reminding ourselves of who we are, replaying in our minds and on our lips the words – the value statements - we sang over and over again on Simchas Torah.
ברוך הוא אלקינו שבראנו לכבודו והבדילנו מן התועים. Blessed is our G-d Who created us to bring Him honor, distinguishing us from those who are so lost that they act like animals and bring no honor to G-d.
תורת ד' תמימה משיבת נפש. Hashem’s Torah is perfect, restoring the soul.
עוצו עצה ותופר דברו דבר ולא יקום כי עמנו א-ל. Enemies of the Jews: Hatch your scheme - it will be foiled; share your plan - it will fail. G-d is with us.
אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה. Our brothers and sisters throughout the whole house of Israel who are in distress or captivity, may Hashem have compassion on them and lead them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, and from oppression to freedom.
אני מאמין באמונה שלימה בביאת המשיח: I believe completely in the coming of the Moshiach, and though he may delay – and there may be much pain and suffering during that delay – we await his coming every day.
We must always draw strength from who we are, from the magnificent Torah values that we celebrate, and from the strength and care that we provide each other.
בצפיה לישועה קרובה, with hope for imminent salvation,
Mitchel Aeder
President
Rabbi Moshe Hauer
Executive Vice President
Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
PS: We will be sharing in the near future opportunities for things that you can do to materially make a difference, both through charitable donations and possible volunteer opportunities.
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463
No comments:
Post a Comment