Dear JCOGS family,
I wrote most of these words last weekend, on the major holiday of Tisha B’Av—the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av—a day of deep mourning in our tradition. It commemorates the calamitous report of the spies, which led to 40 years of wandering in the desert, and the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. Over time, this day has come to hold the weight of many tragedies in Jewish history: the Crusades, expulsions, pogroms, and more. On Tisha B’Av, we chant Eichah, the Book of Lamentations—painful, poetic words that feel as though they could have been written today.
“For these things do I weep, My eyes flow with tears, Far from me is any comforter, Who might revive my spirit” - Lamentations 1:16
Last week, Hamas released videos of still-captive hostages, including Evyatar David, a 24-year-old who was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023—now 671 days ago. In the footage, Evyatar appears gaunt and emaciated. He is among the few hostages confirmed still alive. At a rally last Saturday night, on the eve of Tisha B’Av, his brother said: “The thought of his pain, his hunger, his fear in those dark tunnels, it haunts my every waking moment.” His family described Evyatar as a “living skeleton, buried alive” in the Hamas tunnels.
The desperation of Evyatar’s family echoes the grief of Lamentations. For nearly 22 months, the cry of Bring Them Home NOW has rung out. We continue to hold the hostages and their families in our hearts, alongside those serving in the IDF, the families of the fallen, and Israelis living with ongoing trauma and fear.
Recently, sitting for dinner with friends—an Israeli couple who spends summers in Vermont—I heard about how difficult a year it has been, not least of which earlier in the year being displaced (again) from their home with the war in the north, and then with the school year culminating in the barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran.
Israelis are in such great need right now. Here are a few ways you can support Israelis, the hostages, and their families:
- Hostage and Missing Families Forum – The central organization representing hostage families, advocating for their release and welfare.
- Israeli Trauma Coalition – Offering trauma care and mental health services to families and communities affected by the war.
- Magen David Adom – Israel’s national emergency medical services and blood bank.
- At JCOGS, below the posters of the remaining hostages, you can write letters directly to the hostage families to offer your support.
Over these past weeks and months, we have also faced another set of suffering people, as many Gazans are struck with dire hunger, disease, and displacement. Rabbi Aviva Richman writes: “As we hear the words of lament this year (Lamentations 2:12): ‘Children keep asking their mothers - where is bread?’ how can our minds not fill with images of hungry, suffering children in Gaza, and our souls not ache that babies feel the pain of war? The message of Tisha B’Av is to… open our eyes and our hearts to the worst suffering, to look head on at the hardest, most terrible truths of our unredeemed world… When we refuse to be numb to the hunger experienced by children in Jerusalem 2000 years ago our hearts are poised to also not be numb to the hunger experienced by children in Gaza right now.” (Read her whole stirring piece here.)
As such, a coalition of leading spiritual leaders—among them Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue and my own teacher Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld of Hebrew College—have uplifted several trusted humanitarian organizations providing life-saving support to Palestinian civilians:
- IsraAID – An Israeli humanitarian NGO delivering food, medical supplies, and essential aid through partners inside Gaza.
- World Central Kitchen – Recently resumed operations in Gaza to deliver hot, nourishing meals to civilians.
- Clean Shelter – Providing safe, sanitary shelter solutions for displaced families in Gaza.
This Shabbat, we pivot to another, lesser known holiday of Tu B’Av—the 15th of Av. This was a day in ancient Israel when young men and women would come together to find their bashert, their beloved. It is as stark a contrast as one could ever experience—from dire mourning to joy and celebration. Yet what binds the two experiences is love. When we are fully alive, love fills us; when we face suffering or grief, it is the love we share that makes the pain most deeply felt.
My prayer is that our community acts out of love for the good of those in need. My prayer is that we show our care for our fellow Jews, ahavat Yisrael, a love for our people, v’ahavat olam, and a love for all of humanity—through our actions. My prayer is that in the place beyond all division, we may hold the sanctity of life and love as paramount. And in so doing, may we come to see a world filled with greater wholeness and peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David
