Rabbi's Message

Did I mention that the airport has a very different look? 

For the last two years posters of the hostages have lined the arrival corridor. They are gone. It looks the way it did before October 7, 2023. But October 7th still haunts Israel. Three more bodies were returned today, including that of Omer Neutra z’l, who is from NY (Rabbi Joel Levenson’s congregation). His loss is mourned in Israel and the U.S. 

Two pictures confirm the continuing impact of the hostages upon Israel.

The first is along the beach in Tel Aviv: “V’Ahavta L’Reyakha Kamokha—Love your fellow human being as yourself,” with a yellow ribbon symbolizing the hostages as an upside down letter Ayin. The yellow sign in the second pictures is at the entrance to Erin Hod Artist Village. It reads “Ad HaHatuf HaAharon—Until the Last Hostage.” Israel is still waiting for that, even as the return of remains brings more burials and mourning. 

Of course there is still beauty and there is the joy of visits with old friend. The first picture is a view of sunset over Herzliyah and the second is at Kibbutz S’dot Yam.

On Thursday, thousands of Haredim (Ultra Orthodox) demonstrated against the draft. They shut down the road from Tel Aviv entering Jerusalem. In an ironic juxtaposition, we were still able to get to Latrun, the national center for the Armor Corps, as they were finishing a ceremony inducting new officers. The Armor Corps Center is also the site of a very interesting new museum about Jews who served in WWII. Jane’s father and mine served in the U.S. army during that war, and my friend’s father served in the Jewish brigade—soldiers from pre-state Israel who were part of the British army. 

As you contemplate the implications of that, here’s another story to consider. It comes from a visit with friends who live on a Moshav (sort of like a Kibbutz, but with more private ownership of the agricultural components). This Moshav is affiliated with the National Religious group that serves in the army. One young officer from the Moshav was killed in Gaza. In eulogizing her son, his mother shared that her son would always bring her flowers on his birthday. His, not her’s, because he would say she was the one who brought him into the world on that day. Many of his friends were moved by that story, so on his next birthday they brought his mother flowers. Word of this spread, and now many young members of the Moshav and even beyond have begun to bring their mothers presents to celebrate their own birthdays. 

This week’s Torah, Vayera, is a second collection of stories about Abraham which provide insight into his character—courage, kindness, the quest for justice and tests of faith. They all been part of the continuing journey of his descendants; they are all to be found here in Israel.