Dear Temple Emanu-El,
In the next few days Marita & I depart for Israel. For a bit more than a week, we are going to be volunteering our unskilled manual labor doing a variety of things, ranging from picking vegetables and tree-fruit, to wrapping bandages in the hospitals. We do this because the folks who normally would be harvesting and wrapping are on the front lines with the IDF (or have gone back to Thailand). We will be meeting with various families of Jewish captives still in Gaza, as well as soldiers, and survivors of the October attacks by Hamas. We hope to ‘bear witness’, hear their stories, and bring them back to you. We want to keep the flame of hope alive for our hostages, and to gather our collective strength against this ongoing existential war. We have been told that the hundreds of letters that we will deliver (which you wrote), and the thousands of dollars that we will donate (that you gave) will be extremely welcome, but no less than our presence representing you, and showing the Israelis that they are not alone. We are anxious to get there, and will report on what we experience when we get back.
Part of our inspiration (and obsession, and relentless drive to do ‘something) comes from the Israeli people themselves. Our relatives there have told us that most Israelis in Israel (who are not on the front lines) finish their jobs each day, and then volunteer a few hours in the evenings doing something to help the effort. They are, as we know, all in. They have no choice.
In America, many of us here also are doing what we can to help: advocating, donating, lobbying, having tough conversations, and building bridges. Related to what is happening in Israel, our challenge continues here in the USA against antisemitism. Our struggle did not start on October 7th, but the October pogrom certainly has exasperated our situation. That is why I am asking you to make a real plan to come to Temple Emanu-El on Friday night, January 12th, for our GA Legislative & MLK Shabbat. Through the American Jewish Committee (AJC), we will be hosting several dozen (yes, you read this right) elected officials, mostly from the GA State legislature. They will join us for Shabbat dinner before services and then services themselves. This is our opportunity (at round tables for Shabbat dinner), during worship and Oneg, to let them know about what we are experiencing as Jews in America right now. And…to talk about the need for the GA “antisemitism bill” HB30. For those who were awake during my Yom Kippur sermon, the evening of January 12th will be key to get HB30 passed.
When you ask yourself, “what can I be doing to help?’- this is an answer.
We need you.
Really.
To join us, with the elected officials, for Shabbat dinner please sign up here.
And please, we need to show real numbers at our Shabbat service to reflect to our elected officials that HB30, and the Jewish experience, should very much be on their radar.
Thanks for caring. And thanks for showing up when you are needed.
Shabbat shalom,
-S
