Rabbi Janine's Messages

Dear Community, 

This past weekend, as many of us in the States were enjoying a beautiful Shabbat day, news broke that the bodies of six hostages who had recently been murdered by Hamas were found. 

There are no words to describe this tragedy or the ongoing devastation that has occurred in the last 11 months. There is only agony. 

Still, perhaps we can listen to the words of Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin whose son, Hersch Goldberg-Polin, was among those found murdered this weekend: 
 

“There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners. In our Jewish tradition we say: Kol adam olam umlo’o, every person is an entire universe. We must save all these universes.” 

I am reminded this morning of a specific call to action from the Book of Psalms. This call to action is unlike any other; it is a call to be a rodef shalom, someone who pursues or chases after peace. Seek peace and pursue it, we read from Psalm 34. Rabbi Yohanah further explains, “[To] have peace one should be like a captain on a boat. A person should always be on the lookout for an opportunity and then pursue a course towards peace.” (Levitus Rabbah 21:5) 

We learn from this that peacemaking is the only path. It is not enough to avoid fighting or to wait for the day when peace shall arrive. We all must actively pursue peace now. 

Ori Danino, 25
Carmel Gat, 40
Hersch Goldberg-Polin, 23 
Alexander Lobanov, 32
Almog Sarusi, 27
Eden Yerushalmi, 24 

May their memories be for a blessing and may their memories push us, drive us, to pursue peace at all costs. 

Rabbi Janine Jankovitz 
she/her