Rabbi Heller's Blog

Dear Friends,

We are still reeling from the news of Shabbat morning, that Hamas terrorists swept across the Gaza border, killing hundreds of Israelis, wounding and maiming thousands, and taking an as-yet unknown number captive, to be subjected to brutality that we cannot conceive. There is much that is still unsure, but we know that we stand with Israel.

On Saturday morning, as we prepared for the Shemini Atzeret festival service and yizkor, news began to filter in, and I offered an initial reaction to this moment. You can watch those words here.

One aspect of my sermon was an explanation as to why we would continue with our observance, pausing for key moments of support and solidarity. Our enemies wanted to desecrate a holiday for millions of Jews in Israel, and succeeded. We would not allow them to extend that victory to Sandy Springs, even though it required singing with broken hearts.

As the true scope of the desecration has become apparent, I struggle to put context to its magnitude. I have guideposts, but they fall short. I have stood by the coffins of two friends in their 20s, murdered by Hamas. I cannot process that number multiplied by the hundreds. I have served a community that was literally at the epicenter of 9/11. Walls and fences were papered with pictures of those whose grieving families held out hope, and who did not return home. Now it is my social media feeds that are full of those pictures. The losses per capita in a small country are far greater- it is as if tens of thousands of Americans had been slaughtered in their homes.  

As the holiday ended, I continued to receive word of families in our community, and in my family’s larger circle of friends, who have suffered losses, or who await what is almost certain to be confirmation of their worst fears. 9/11 was horrific, but somehow impersonal, as death came from the sky. This weekend’s murders were carried out by individuals who looked their victims in the face, men and women, children and elders, performed unspeakable acts, and returned home to be celebrated as heroes.  

Israel is now tasked with the unenviable mission of responding to these atrocities, and wondering what further cost in lives and vilification will be exacted to bring home those who have been taken, to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to ensure its future security. In this moment, whatever our feelings about any Israeli political figure or issue, we must stand in unity with Israel as a nation and as a people. We are not on the front lines in Israel, but we have our own responsibilities to respond, on several fronts:
 
Spiritually-- we have begun adding additional prayers for Israel to each of our daily services. Please join weekday mornings at 7:00AM and 6:15PM in the evening, and beyond, either in person or on Zoom [zoom.us/j/8298008085], password: btorah700.  Please also consider taking on one mitzvah or spiritual practice in memory of those lost and in support of those who are in need of God’s help. Rabbi K, Rabbi Breit and I are all available to be of support. We can sit with you, even as we wrestle with our own reactions, and concern for our loved ones in Israel.
 
Practically-- Israel’s people are in shock and will need many kinds of support. My inbox is already full of requests from organizations like Magen David Adom, FIDF, Masorti.org and more that are doing great work. We may choose a specific cause to support as a congregation, but for the moment, please support those Israel organizations that are closest to your heart.

Politically-- The battle has already begun and we are, in some small way, on the front lines. In cities around the world, and especially on college campuses, even here in Atlanta, there are those who have revealed their inhumanity by demonstrating in support of these atrocities and those who committed them. It is important that we communicate to our neighbors that these attacks are not merely another bout in an ongoing war; these are crimes against humanity, against the very essence of what it means to be human. We will be called upon to be warriors for truth, to advocate with government leaders and in the media. 

As one step in that process, we are partnering with Atlanta’s Jewish community for a rally at City Springs here in Sandy Springs on Tuesday night, October 10 at 7:15PM. I expect this will be a massive event. Please register in advance at https://jewishatlanta.org/event/stand-in-solidarity-with-israel/

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With prayers for the peace of Israel. 
Rabbi Joshua Heller