Tuesday March 15 2011

9 Adar Bet 5771

Shalom Kol Tzedek Hevre (community),

 The days approaching Purim are among the most joyous of the year.  Even so, I cannot help but have a heavy heart given the realities of our world – especially those events that have occurred within this past week.

Many of us have been watching the footage regarding the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan with shock and horror.  Especially concerning is the crisis that has emerged as a result of meltdowns of nuclear reactors.  In a situation like this, we often feel so incredibly helpless.  While it is frustrating to say that the only thing we can do is to donate money, giving tzedakah (charity) is a concrete way we can help those on the ground who are aiding the survivors and continuing the search and rescue efforts.  The excellent website “Charity Navigator” has compiled a listing of best charities to help with relief efforts: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1221. Among those charities highlighted (and also recommended by the great organization American Jewish World Service) is the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a non-for-profit that works in more than 70 different countries to alleviate hardship and hunger and to assist those victims of natural disaster such as this.  Go to www.jdc.org to learn more and donate.

 In Israel and the West Bank, there has been news of another tragedy.  I was and remain horrified and saddened by the weekend’s news of a massacre of family members at Itamar, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.  I mourn for those slain: 10-year-old Yoav Fogel, Udi Fogel, 37, Ruth Fogel, 36, four-year-old Elad Fogel, and three-monthold Hadas Fogel.  While my shock and dismay at the murders is great, so is my pain and frustration regarding the way in which Prime Minister Netanyahu and other religious and political leaders are leveraging this incredible tragedy to further political aims, including further shutting down a potential for a peace process and promoting settlement expansion.  Whatever our political views regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—and there are many varied ones in Kol Tzedek—I pray we can acknowledge the pain and fear of this loss and also strengthen our resolve to work toward a brighter future for all people who live in the region. 

I want to offer a thoughtful essay by Rabbi Donniel Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, http://hartman.org.il/Opinion_C_View_Eng.asp?Article_Id=644 and also encourage you to utilize the Israeli newspaper Ha-Aretz as a news source. Ha-Aretz (www.haaretz.com) is a wonderful resource that reflects various viewpoints and perspectives within Israeli society. 

Toward the end of the Purim megillah (scroll, story), it says, “The Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor” (Esther 8:16).  As it was for our ancestors, so may it be for us.  May the coming days and weeks bring us more joy, more light, and more hope.  May this Purim lift our spirits and help us to celebrate life, even in the midst of pain.

 L’Shalom,

Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann