In case you missed Rabbi Klein’s message in TSTI Today on October 7, we are sharing it again here.
And tonight, we’ll hear the remarkable story of the resilience of the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, shared through the personal narrative of an October 7 survivor, Barak Morag. Our Shabbat service will include words of memorial for all those whose lives were lost on this day three years ago. (Dinner reservations are now closed, but we hope you’ll join us for the service.)
Friends,
Today, our community remembers the devastating events of October 7, 2023.
Our sages taught that destroying a single life is akin to destroying an entire world.
Together, we mourn the 1,219 individuals—each one a world—who were murdered three years ago by the hand of unspeakable terror: each person irreplaceable; each one a precious soul within Am Yisrael.
On this painful yartzheit –
We pray for comfort for the families who had to bury their loved ones.
We pray for courage for the soldiers, many of them children themselves, who were called to defend the Jewish people.
We pray for healing for the survivors who continue to live with the trauma of that day, and of the years of war and hatred that have followed in its wake.
On this somber anniversary, I encourage you to consider supporting the efforts of those brave individuals who have committed their lives to the hopeful work of peace and coexistence. I am especially inspired by the work of Parents Circle Families Forum, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, and Women Wage Peace/Women of the Sun, along with so many others. If those who live with this conflict every day have not given up their commitment to finding a better way forward, neither can we.
In memory and hope,
Rabbi Klein