Dear Friends,
October 7th and its aftermath forces us, I hope, to ask questions. What is our relationship with each other? What is our connection to Jewish peoplehood? What does it mean to be Jewish in the 21st century?
Hopefully, our thinking and rethinking will lead to practical conclusions for our personal lives, families, communities, and schools.
How will our Jewish family decisions and community priorities change after October 7th? Will it include:
- More families sending their kids to Jewish camps?
- Will enrollment in Jewish schools increase?
- Will Jewish programs focus on Jewish literacy?
- More adult Jewish education?
- More learning of Hebrew?
- More public identification with Israel?
- Being more public about being Jewish?
- Bringing Israel into the center of Jewish life in traditional and less traditional Jewish spaces?
How will our Jewish family decisions and community priorities change after October 7th? Will it include:
- More families sending their kids to Jewish camps and Jewish schools?
- More adult Jewish education?
- More learning of Hebrew?
- More public identification with Israel?
- Being more public about being Jewish?
- Bringing Israel into the center of Jewish life in traditional and less traditional Jewish spaces?
What you can do to move the needle
- Synagogue life. Will Israel still be “toxic”? Will prayers for our soldiers and the State of Israel be prominently featured in your synagogue, on your synagogue social media, and on your synagogue website? If not, ask your Rabbi.
- Wedding ceremonies. Will your next family wedding include the traditional formulation from Psalms 137 “If I forget Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.” Will the translation of the 7 blessings recited under the chuppa reflect the elements of Jewish peoplehood and return to Zion in the original Hebrew, or will it include a vague call for tikkun olam? If the rabbi skips these elements, politely ask the rabbi why they were not included.
Going public. This means asserting yourself in public spaces. Standing tall is empowering. Wear a kippah in public. Wear a necklace with a Star of David. Wear a shirt with Hebrew text or an Israeli flag when you work out at the gym.- Make a statement as a family. Put a “We Stand with Israel” sign on your lawn or front window. It makes a difference in the public square to know that there are proud Israel supporters. Even more importantly, it makes a difference to you and to your family.
- Hebrew. Deepening your knowledge of Hebrew is the gateway to Jewish literacy, to Jewish music, to Jewish texts, and to understanding the largest and most vibrant Jewish community in the last two millenia.
Katriel Reichman
Working hard to match clients and therapists (therapyeverywhere.com, psychologyeverywhere.com), and enthusiastic advocate for nuanced thinking.
