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Shalom, chaveirim - hello, friends -
I've got a video for you today ... here it is!
I'm sharing a few posts for you to go and read more from people who can give you a distinct look into the reality in Israel right now.
It's been a while, but a few months ago, I shared comments from someone who grew up in my wife's congregation Springfield, MA. Meir and his family made aliyah back in August. He is an ER doctor in Jerusalem. Give a look at:
Meir Dashevsky from 20 Feb 2024 - "Update from Jerusalem #9"
Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis is the president of Shalem College in Jerusalem and a writer and scholar. His website, "Israel from the Inside," is a trove of insight from Israel. From his post yesterday, you will see a short video in his column from this week of a family driving in the North - not at the border, mind you - and rockets were coming in from Hezbollah. It is a short video - very intense - but a unique view into the reality of what Israel faces. Some of the site is open and other parts require a subscription. Browse and review some very important recordings and writings.
Lastly, a friend of mine, Roy Kozupsky, who lives in the Berkshires, felt compelled to volunteer in Israel. Roy did what Amy and I are slated to do in a few weeks: work on an army base. I read his story in the Jewish Voice of the Berkshires and wrote him to thank him for sharing and he sent me the full essay with permission to share. You will find his insightful words here:
Roy Kozupsky from 28 Dec 2023 - "Volunteering in Israel for two weeks."
I'm not going to give away the full story by sharing the end with you but I think it is an important message for us all - particularly with Purim right around the corner in a few weeks. Roy came back from his time in Israel and heard a Member of Knesset, Sharren Haskel, speak. Her words are instructive and inspirational and genuinely capture the Jewish ethos:
"They thought they would bury us in the ground….but they didn’t know, that we Israelis, the Jewish people, we are a seed….and when they bury us in the ground, we will rise up from those ashes, and we will continue to grow…”
Amen. Ken Y'hi Ratzon - may it be God's will and may we make it our own as well!
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Mark Cohn
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P.S. SAVE THESE DATES:
Sunday, April 7 (3:00 PM) at Temple Emanuel, 1 E. 65h Street, NYC. Join me for an extraordinary opportunity to honor our Czech Torah!! Register soon HERE as seating is limited. I will write more in coming columns about the Czech Torah and why this 60th celebration is so meaningful. To learn more about the Czech Memorial Scroll Trust, go to their website HERE.
Thursday, May 9 (7:00 PM) at Congregation B'nai Israel, 444 Main Street, Southbury. Acclaimed author, journalist, teacher Yossi Klein Halevi will be speaking on "How October 7 Changed Israel and the Jewish World." This evening is hosted by our congregation joined with CBI of Southbury, the Jewish Federation of Western CT, the Greater Washington Coalition for Jewish Life, United Jewish Center of Danbury, and Temple Beth David of Cheshire.
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