As Jeff was walking to Shul yesterday, detached from world events, someone spotted his yarmulke, stopped him, and said,
“There was a terror attack in a Manchester synagogue this morning. I thought you would want to know.”
That person understood. A Jew in Portland and a Jew in Manchester are part of the same family. We pulsate with a single heart, share in each other’s joys and tragedies, and when one is hurt, we feel scared, attacked, and angry. We truly do want to know.
It was difficult to speak before Yizkor, knowing that just this morning there were two new names of still-unburied Jews to add to the list of those killed simply for being Jewish.
So I shared an excerpt from Anatoly Sharansky’s memoir Fear No Evil, where he describes the moment he was brought back to the Soviet Communist regime’s sham court for sentencing:
“I remembered speaking very slowly, knowing that he [my brother] would be my only channel for broadcasting my message through Western journalists, who were barred from the courtroom but waiting outside.
I recalled how big the room felt as I turned it into my platform to address the world. When the judge asked me what my final words would be before sentencing, my answer was:
‘To my wife and the Jewish people, I say: L’shanah Haba’ah BeYerushalayim — next year in Jerusalem. To the court, whose only function it is to read a prepared sentence, I have nothing to say.’
Why did I use those words? I knew that in the long years of isolation to come, the most important thing for me would be to remain fully confident that the Jewish people would continue our struggle. What could be a better guarantee than returning to our ancient oath to Jerusalem?
At that moment, I had full trust in my people. As I began my long journey in the Gulag, I knew I would remain in dialogue with these invisible partners. I would never be alone during our struggle for freedom.”
At moments like these, we hold on to our faith, our identity, and the reminder that a Jew is never alone. We are a people called upon by the Creator to bring about the dawn of a brighter day for the world — a day we are promised will come.
L’Shana Haba’ah BeYerushalayim.
And to those who refuse to listen, understand, and embrace the truth and reality of our mission: We have nothing to say.
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In the video below, my colleague Chabad Rabbi Daniel Walker of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester — which was attacked yesterday — shares a message calling for spiritual light in response to the attack.
Rabbi Motti Wilhelm received his diploma of Talmudic Studies from the Rabbinical College of Australia & New Zealand in 2003 and was ordained as a rabbi by the Rabbinical College of America and Israel’s former chief Rabbi Mordecha Eliyahu in 2004. He was the editor of Kovetz Ohelei Torah, a respected Journal of Talmudic essays. He lectures on Talmudic Law, Medical Ethics and a wide array of Jewish subjects and has led services in the United States, Canada, Africa and Australia. His video blog Rabbi Motti’s Minute is highly popular as are his weekly emails. Rabbi Wilhelm and his wife Mimi lead Chabad SW Portland as Shluchim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.