Dear Friends,
“Hate [is] an indiscriminate infection. That is why, as a black American, I will always stand against hate and stand with the people who are targets of hate… This is not complicated, America. It is not complicated. We all must denounce hate and those people who use hate to destroy. That is Hamas.”
Sen. Cory Booker uttered those powerful words last evening during an interview on MSNBC. Booker was in Jerusalem working to advance the possibility of peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia when Hamas committed its atrocities last Saturday, and unsurprisingly has been deeply impacted by the experience.
Booker’s words were a stark reminder that the driving force behind the brutality we saw last Shabbat is not policy. It is hate. The Hamas charter makes that abundantly clear.
Hate, not policy, motivated the terrorists who brutally murdered civilians in Israel.
And that same hate was on display as hostages were paraded through the streets of Gaza as throngs of people cheered and danced.
Sadly that same hate has been displayed this week, particularly on college campuses at demonstrations that claim to be about Palestinian rights and statehood, but inevitably devolve into the same intense antisemitism our people know all too well.
Painful as that is, the relative silence from many who we hoped would be our allies and stand with us at this difficult time, has made a terrible time even harder.
So, I am looking for comfort where I can. I am taking strength from all of you. I am grateful for the support you have shown one another and the outpouring of support for Israel. And I am taking strength from the resilience of the Israeli people. They are traumatized, but know what is at stake and stand tall in the face of this evil.
And I am filled with gratitude.
Gratitude for the support that has been expressed by some friends and neighbors.
Gratitude for the years of relationship-building that organizations like AIPAC have done that is at the core of the unwavering support America has shown for the well-being of the Jewish State.
Gratitude in the knowledge that we are a formidable force for good when we stand together as we are now.
None of that, however, takes away the fear, the outrage, and the heartbreak so many of us are feeling.
These next few days will be as difficult as the ones that have just passed. And as this war progresses, it will be important to remember that this war is a fight against an ISIS-adjacent terror organization. The loss of civilian life on both sides of this conflict is a tragedy of immense proportion, but Hamas cannot be allowed to regroup and continue to massacre innocent people.
So as Shabbat approaches, I will pray for peace. Peace for Israel. Peace for all people. All the while knowing that the path from here to the peace we all desire will see more pain and bloodshed.
And THAT is truly heartbreaking.
With Gratitude,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen
