Dearest friends, students, and colleagues . . . for the record, at this time of year, there is so much to bethankful for and yet so much remains in doubt — our gatherings, meetings, and private conversations have been described and noted as a wonderful cross-section of Jews, Christians & Buddhists, both young and old, and yet very few of us have known, at least in the last 75 years or so, times like these. I am reminded of the opening words of A Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ”
And so, in lieu of our gathering today I am hoping that you will have a look at this opinion piece below:
“And anyone who fails us, we will not forget.”
- a) I am well aware that a hostage/prisoner deal . . . of the so-called palestinian-prisoners in exchange for the Jewish survivors of the pogrom of innocents turned into a deal for the “kidnapped of pawns and hostages.”
- b) I am of course, of many minds about this, but it is important to note that I am neither a hostage buried in an overwhelmingly inhumane captivity, beneath the earth’s surface nor an immediate member of a hostage family. Although, many of us do feel this way, and will continue to feel this way.
- c) Of equal note and for the record, We are members of the Jewish People, a family. As such, the circumstances of this pogrom, this war against the Jews, this insanity, directly affects all of us, and I might add, directly affects the overall health and welfare of Western Civilization (as oxymoronic as that expression may be, 75 years after the surviving remnant of the Jewish People stumbled out of the gates of a death camp called Auschwitz).
“Lest we forget” — Dr. Miriam Adelson has written a short essay, worth the moments it would take to think over her words and admonitions:
‘Our Sages Were Right’: Dr. Miriam Adelson reflects on her trip to the southern Israeli communities targeted by Hamas on Oct. 7. “Like so many contemporary Jews, I took our safety for granted. I may have even poked fun at the Jewish tradition which I so cherish, with its fixation on genocides averted in our annals, from Passover to Purim. The old joke is that Jewish holidays can be summarized with: ‘They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.’ But that joke is over, gone along with the 1,200 innocents who died Oct. 7 and all those killed in Israel’s military counter-offensive in the Gaza Strip. Our sages were right when they warned, a millennium ago, that in each and every generation there are those who will strive to wipe out the Jews. Perhaps they were also right when they counseled that God would protect His people. But still, His people have to look out for themselves. Israel will recover from this unprecedented violation, and rally. That will entail remaking Israeli borders and relations with friends and foes alike. We will expect and demand full support from our Western partners. And anyone who fails us, we will not forget.”
Here, a repetition of ‘the Bottom Line’:
“But still: When I returned from that traumatizing tour, I decided not to clean my shoes. They will forever keep the ash and soot they gathered in Nir Oz. “Never Forget” begins anew, right now.”
_______________
Kislev, could it be a month of miracles . . . or perhaps more of the same, hope to see every one of you a week from today.
Gd willing . . .
