I don’t want to close my eyes.

October 28, 2023 (written by Dr. Laurie Greenberg)

Three weeks have passed since the brutal terrorist attack in Israel. Many people say time heals but in this case, time does not. My anguish has become more present, and more intense with each passing day, and for this I am grateful.

I don’t want my pain to be lessened.

I don’t want my connection to Israel to be dampened.

I don’t want to close my eyes to the horrific increase in antisemitism that has followed the terror attacks.

I don’t want to “understand” how barbaric attacks on innocent people stimulate more hatred and more attacks.

I don’t want to be more removed from what it is to be human.

There has been התעוררות, an awakening. I pray that we remain awake to know the pain and suffering of those in Israel and that we remain awake to the reality of the horrific effects of war.

I want to know responsibility and gratitude for today, commitment and resolve for tomorrow.

The wounds left by the massacre will not and should not heal, and the conflict we enter to eradicate evil will be long and costly. We must not lose stamina. We must allow ourselves to continue…

to know the names and faces of the hostages,

to see the soldiers and their families as our family,

and to know the pain in every situation where good people are brutalized.

To remain human and vulnerable we need to keep our souls alive and our connection strong. Our JCC community does this by embracing Jewish values. Values like (Gemilut Ḥasadim) גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִי, kindness and compassion toward all, and by יוֹשֶׁר(yushׁar), acting with integrity and ethics. We honor B’tzelem Elohim בצלם אלקים by trying to see each person as though they were created in the image of God. We do this by celebrating Shabbat, remembering our covenant with God, with Israel, and with our Kehilla, our community. We have chosen this community and my prayer is that we remain awake to the pain and suffering because as Rabbi Nechman said, “there is nothing more whole than a broken heart. The brokenness allows our light to shine through.”

Shavuah Tov — Through our thoughtfulness of our words and the good intentions of our deeds, may we make this a week of good.

In love and peace,

Laurie Greenberg
Board Chair, LFJCC