I find it hard to believe nearly two months have elapsed since I stood before you and other members of our congregation on Kol Nidre eve to commemorate the advent of the most holy of our holy days.
In my talk I made a point of speaking out against the chilling rise of antisemitism happening locally, but little did I know how quickly current events would overtake what we were experiencing here, with armed Hamas terrorists invading, unprovoked, our spiritual home, killing, wounding, or capturing Israelis who we essentially consider to be our figurative family, with some victims actually being family members. An attack there is an attack here; the war continues, with even more death and destruction.
In light of these utterly horrific events, you might think it unseemly for me to reach out to you to repeat the L’Dor V’Dor fundraising request I made on Kol Nidre, but to me there is no better time to make such an appeal. Now, more than ever, we need to come together. Being Jewish means being part of a community; more than anything, that community is our congregation.
So again, at the risk of being a little more blunt than I would like, I am writing now to appeal to your better selves, asking for your financial support, with L’Dor V’Dor serving as the vehicle to keep our doors open, our lights on, and our staff and programs sustained throughout the year.
I previously suggested thinking in terms of Chai, the number 18, signifying a life blessed with good luck; even a single $18 contribution helps. If you can double-, triple-, quadruple-, or even quintuple down and do multiples of Chai, even better.
This congregation is only as good as all of you make it. So look into your hearts and do what you can. Whatever the number, you have my heartfelt thanks for your support! And lastly, let’s all of us pray for peace.
