Shabbat shalom - a statement that is both an affirmation and an aspiration

קישור שלום ~ Kishur Sholom

Staying Connected with the Temple Sholom Community

2 August 2024 ~ 27 Tammuz 5784

Erev Shabbat Mattot-Masei

Chaverim y'karim - dear friends,

There is so very much to say and yet, I find myself speechless at what the last week (plus) have brought as Israel enters what feels like an interminable weekend. It was last Shabbat when there was the horrific death of twelve children, by way of a Hezbollah rocket, in the Golani Druze village of Majdal Shams. And then this week, there has been Israel's targeted killings of a Hezbollah leader and a Hamas leader which have evoked language from Iran that has forced Israel's army into its highest level of alert.

All of this during "The Three Weeks" during which time we remember the destruction of the Great Temples which once stood in Jerusalem - long ago, in antiquity.

I've dropped a few articles and podcasts below, which God knows will be out of date by the end of the weekend.

I did come upon an incredible article - "Crying with the mourners in Majdal Shams" - from an author and activist, Shoshana Keats Jaskoll. She drove up to Majdal Shams to visit the mourners. Her words are a powerful and critical view into Israel, the Druze, the reality, and how much we need to care for one another. You may want to dive into some of her life through Warrior with a Pen and Chochmat Nashim (the wisdom of women). You will see and learn about a whole different perspective than we typically hear in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Our hearts are broken by the death and injury of Israeli soldiers, by the death and injury of the children in Majdal Shams who were simply playing soccer on a Saturday afternoon in their beautiful village, by the overturning of normalcy in Israel and in the Gaza Strip with emotional and physical devastation that confronts Israelis and Palestinians.

We know what happened to the Great Temples and we know what happened to Jerusalem and Jewish sovereignty during those First and Second Commonwealths. May there be better days ahead. May all who dwell in our people's sacred homeland find some measure of quiet and peace on this Shabbat.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Mark Cohn

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JOIN US IN ISRAEL DECEMBER 3-10!?

CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE??

We had a nice informational meeting about a December trip to Israel which will I will lead with my wife, Rabbi Wallk, and Tour Educator, Haim Aronovitz. Have a look at the Itinerary and Cost. If you have any questions and/or would like to discuss further, please be in touch (rabbicohn@tsholom.org) or call the temple office.

ARTICLES & PODCASTS -

"There's a difference between fighting terrorists and terrorizing them," (1 August 2024) by David Suissa in The Jewish Journal. "It's important to combat terror groups and downgrade their capabilities. But it's even more important to terrorize the leaders who give the orders so they'll be a lot more hesitant to use the weapons."

"The world forgot our hostages but our 4 year has not," (2 August 2024) by Rachel Hollander Sirner in eJewishPhilanthropy. A very real look at "conversations at home."

"Israel at War: Under the Volcanoes" (31 July 2024) Rabbi Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi on For Heaven's Sake. “Unpacking far right protestors at the Sde Teiman Army Base.”

JTA’s Homepage for following the Jewish and Israeli athletes at the 2024 Olympics.

"Two assassinations and a transformed war," (1 August 2024) by Jonathan Schanzer in The Free Press. "Israel just took out Hamas and Hezbollah leaders deep inside enemy territory. Now Iran is threatening to retaliate. What comes next?"

"Jewish anti-Zionists, check your privilege," by Gershom Gorenberg in Moment. "It's easy to say a Jewish state is not needed from the safety of the United States."

TISHA B'AV: A BIT TOO RELEVANT.

Observing and learning together, Tuesday, 8/13 @ Noon.

Next week, Rabbi Cohn will send a link for Legend of Destruction, a movie that focuses on the story of the Destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) - with lessons far broader than just First Century.

Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) forces us to reconcile atrocities with our own complicity, responses, and responsibilities.

Watch the film, discuss around your dining room table (or wherever life finds you soon), and as you are able, please join us for a chance to learn and discuss together in our temple library on the day that commemorates great destruction(s) in our people's past.

Hadar's Tisha B'Av Day of In-Person and Online Prayer and Programming

From the Hadar Website: Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year, is a day of disruption from our routines, as we mourn for the loss of the Temple and other tragedies of Jewish history and our world. This day is meant to shock us into remembering the uncomfortable, the painful, and things we may rather forget.

Join us online and in-person in NYC and observe Tisha B’Av with the Hadar community. We encourage you to drop in to different sessions throughout the day. For online sessions, register in advance to receive the Zoom link.

The Ketubah: What’s Love Got to Do with It? A Melton School on-line course with Rabbi Cohn!

The ketubah, or Jewish marriage contract, is one of the most well-known Jewish legal texts being actively used today. But what's love got to do with it? Join Rabbi Mark Cohn on Tu B'Av (think: Jewish Valentine’s Day), Monday, August 19 @ 7:00 PM as we explore the origins and development of this time-honored Jewish wedding document. Both a symbol and a binding document for the wedding couple, there’s more to the ketubah than meets the eye!

Information & Registration