| Good evening everyone, or as we say in my congregation, Shalom,
Normally our congregation’s Rabbi, Niles Goldstein, would be the one volunteering to speak with you this evening, but Niles is traveling for the holiday and asked me to stand in for him, sharing a few words with all of you in my capacity as Congregation Beth Shalom’s President.
I certainly am not the Rabbi, nonetheless I am very glad to be here, and want to thank Reverend Jay and the Interfaith Council for extending their kind invitation for me to speak on both Niles’s and the congregation’s behalf.
Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American holiday that favors no religion, meaning it favors all religions, encouraging many of us to gather in celebration with family and friends. This should be a happy time for all of us, but for those of us who are Jewish, reckoning with the events of October 7 casts a very ominous, dark shadow over what otherwise would be a joyous occasion, one full of light.
As many of you know, war rages in Gaza, with some 200-plus hostages from Israel, the U.S., and elsewhere are being held captive by the organization Hamas. There are numerous Gazan casualties, spurring large pro-Palestinian rallies throughout the world. It feels as if support of Israel is waning, with antisemitism on the rise both around the world and here in the U.S.
If you were to ask me or many of the other members of our congregation about how they currently feel, most of us would respond with three words.
The first word is fear.
It is a terribly difficult time for many of us at CBS. We have congregants who have lost family members and treasured friends on that October 7 day and since, which explains why, to show our continued support, at our synagogue we have installed an empty Shabbat table to honor those being held captive, along with posters identifying them by name, something I find simultaneously moving and haunting.
Are our members afraid? In truth we are, but this doesn’t stop us from seeking solace and support from our CBS community, but also from the wider one as well, including events like this evening’s.
The second word is resolve.
The Jewish people have long and tragic history of being targets of misinformation, misunderstanding, persecution, hate, and, at its worst, death and destruction. And yet we forge on, determined to continue, as we always have, as we always will.
We cannot live in fear, and cannot hide, and so we won’t. We pray for peace. We pray there are no more casualties among Israelis or Palestinians. But we are realists, and we are resolute, knowing how impossibly challenging it is to find a solution to an intractable problem that, despite countless years of trying, seemingly has none.
The third word is hope.
Our hope is embodied in the Interfaith Council and its ongoing efforts to listen, to question, and to understand. It is embodied in all of you attending here tonight; your very presence here this evening is a testament to hope. And it is embodied in a story that happened years ago, at this very house of faith, which I want to share with all of you.
More than ten years ago, sorely in need of a new building to replace one that had fallen into unsalvageable disrepair, our congregation sought a place to call home while construction of our new building was underway. Our Rabbi at the time, Lee Bycel, in an act of optimism and hope, walked up the block to ask the then leaders of this very congregation, Pastor David Hamilton and Associate Pastor Julie Webb, if we might find temporary shelter here.
Their answer was an immediate, resounding, and unequivocal “Yes!, so for months after we called this sanctuary our sanctuary. Our gratitude was such that, after we moved to our new building, we invited Pastors David and Julie to attend a service where we recognized and honored their openness, willingness, and kindness. They were and are our partners in faith, and if ever there is a reason for hope, it is embodied in this story.
There’s a phrase I’ve used in addressing members of CBS, Am Yisrael Chai, which means “the people of Israel live.” I leave you with this thought: with your help, support, and love, the Jewish people of Napa, including the members of the Congregation that has its home just down the block, also will live, less fearful, more resolute, and ever hopeful.
Thank you everyone, and may all of you have a joyous and celebratory Thanksgiving.
|
