Communal Strength as we gather at Shir Hadash
11/07/2023 04:22:18 PM
Words from Rabbi Nico, reflecting on the Shloshim 30 Days Vigil:
It's been thirty days — a shloshim that has deeply etched itself into our hearts, narrowing our world with an indescribable loss. As we recite 'Yitgadal,' we seek not just to remember the magnitude of those we've lost, but to rediscover the expansiveness of spirit that now feels so distant.
With each day of this shloshim, we've become acutely aware of the atrocities faced by our martyrs, the unsettling absence of knowledge about many of our kin. The grief is palpable, the uncertainty a constant companion, and yet, we recognize that this is not where we are meant to remain.
Thirty days have taught us the raw nature of sorrow and the almost unbearable weight of uncertainty. But amidst this, we've also learned about the resilience etched into our very being. Trauma is transgenerational and so is hope. We carry transgenerational hope, hope that has always been the bedrock of our existence.
On October 7th we touched bottom, but we are not staying there, from there we will emerge carried by the power of a millenia old imperative to rise.
We will rise to honor the memories of our martyrs,
We will rise to say again and again for as long as necessary that we want them home.
We will rise for the right of the Jewish People to have a state and for Jews all over the world to be and to feel safe.
We will rise for Tzedek - Justice -for Ahava -Love And for Tikvah- Hope.
We will rise and more than that We will Live.
Am Israel Chai (The People of Israel Live)
#BringThemHome
Our 11/7 Shloshim 30 Days Vigil, with event partners Congregation Sinai, Congregation Beth David, Congregation Shir Hadash, Yavneh, Jewish Silicon Valley, JCRC Silicon Valley, Mercaz Israeli, Temple Emanu-El, Congregation Emeth, Music by Heart, and UnXeptable, brought together hundreds of people to Shir Hadash to mourn, pray, and gather strength and support 30 days after the Pogrom of Oct 7 in Israel.
The powerful art installation showing the Israeli hostages, and outside vigil surrounded by the installation:
