Our Voices

A Message from Rabbi Dan Feder: The Recent Tragedies in Israel

Dear Friends, 

It is with deeply saddened hearts that we mark the deaths of six Israelis taken hostage on October 7. Their brutal murders reinforce the danger for those still held in Gaza and the importance of bringing the remaining hostages home.

With sadness, outrage, anger and despair, we mourn — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American citizen, Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi.

Hersh was raised during the first years of his life in Berkeley and his parents have been outspoken advocates for their son and the other hostages. We can only imagine their deep grief and that of the other affected families at this time.

Every one of those murdered was between the ages of 23 and 40. These brutal murders, which took place as the Israeli army was closing in on a rescue, remind us of the threats Israel faces and the terrible tension Israel confronts as it weighs the conflicting priorities of bringing the remaining hostages home and disabling its enemies, at a time when trust in the government has eroded. 

Adding to the horror, yesterday, three Israeli police officers — Arik Ben Eliyahu, Hadas Branch, and Roni Shakuri — were killed in a terror attack near Hebron.

As Meir Azari, senior rabbi of the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism described today, the news has brought Israel and the Jewish world to an emotional breaking point. Last night Tel Aviv was filled with hundreds of thousands of Israelis demanding an immediate hostage deal and today, Israel faces a general strike, including the shutting down of Ben Gurion Airport, to demand government action and save the remaining hostages.

It is heart-breaking and overwhelming to look back on the year 5784 and the pain and destruction it has brought to Israel and the Jewish people throughout the world. Understandably, we might wonder, where do we go from here? Rabbi Azari reminded us of what one leader, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, taught as he walked through the rubble of the ancient Temple and Jerusalem after the Romans destroyed Judea in the first century CE. He reminded his students to take heart and find hope, as he could see a path to a once-again flourishing Jewish life for our people. 

This is a time of unfathomable pain and sorrow, and yet throughout history our people have shown us the importance of holding onto hope and envisioning a future that is filled with joy and gladness. As we prepare for a new year and our High Holy Days, let us hold in our hearts a vision of a brighter future for the Jewish people. Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

L’shalom,
Rabbi Dan Feder