“How are you doing?” 

A simple question we get asked dozens of times a week. A month ago, two months ago, my answer would have been a simple “I’m good - how are you?”

Not anymore. I have not said that I am good for three weeks now. Sometimes I say that I’m okay, but even that, I don’t say with conviction.

Because like many of you, and most of the adults in the building at Farber, I’m not okay. I live with pain over the horrific massacre of men, women, children and the elderly on Shmini Atseret. I live with anguish over the fate of more than 200 hostages in the hands of people who have demonstrated no care for human life. I live with worry for the soldiers of the IDF, who include so many children of so many friends of mine. I live with anger over the demonstration by so many in the world that Jewish and Israeli lives are cheap, that a massacre against Israel is mere proof that Israel has further wronged the Palestinians. I live with fear that the continued prosecution of this just war will mean so many unavoidable casualties, both for Israel and for Palestinian children. I live with deep, pained empathy for our Israeli shlichim whose concern for their loved ones is so profoundly immediate: Moshe and Shayna Davis, Tamar and Moti Glazer, Chana and Eitan Neubauer, and Rachel and Yael Schreiber.

These are some of the darkest days that I can ever remember. But within the darkness, there are also many rays of light.

• The teachers at Farber who, through their own pain and anguish, have not missed a beat with the children and continue to inspire and comfort with their dedication to their students’ learning and growth. 
• The sympathy demonstrated by our non-Jewish staff members, which has been touching, inspiring, and comforting. Thank you - you don’t know how meaningful it is.
• The absolutely incredible wave of volunteerism by Israelis - not just in quantity but in quality of service and organization - that has enabled society to function as close to normal as possible.
• The awe-inspiring call to arms heeded by Israelis of all types: religious and secular; those in Israel and those abroad; those in combat units and those in support roles.
• The 14 Farber graduates or former students who are currently serving in the IDF and for whom we daven every day.
• The Farber class of 2023 that has continued with their learning in yeshivot in Israel while also doing some amazing acts of chessed for their Israeli brethren. 
• The coming together of Jews from a broad range of backgrounds in the diaspora to support Israel with words, deeds, and money. The flip side to the pro-Hamas demonstrations on campus and in the streets is the larger than ever pro-Israel vigils and rallies as well. 

Rabbi Fohrman, whose Aleph Beta organization has enriched us with so much amazing Torah (full disclosure: my son also works for Rabbi Fohrman), has some important reflections on the war in the Into the Verse podcast here. One month ago, Israeli society was as divided as it ever was. Today, it is as united as it ever was. One could reflect on the sorrow that it took an existential crisis to bring together Israelis, but Rabbi Fohrman actually focuses on what it reveals - that we all recognize that we are part of a larger whole, a larger community, and that when push comes to shove, we know that as a nation, we are much more than a sum of our parts as individuals. We see this most dramatically in Israel itself, but I see this also among the Jews in the diaspora, including so many Facebook posts of people whose Jewish connection and identity has become so much more pronounced in the last few weeks.

And finally, the children. On Simchat Torah, the children saved the chag. While the adults grieved, the children carried on…because they are children, because they didn’t fully understand what was going on, and because we need our children to know how to celebrate Simchat Torah, even in a muted form. And as we come to school, we know that the Jewish future is what the IDF is fighting for…which gives all of us chizuk in our jobs to ensure that our students help to ensure that Jewish future as well. 

Wishing you all a peaceful Shabbat and safety for all of klal yisrael.

עם ישראל חי!

Dr. Josh Levisohn

Head of School