For all of us, as a Jewish community, it is painful to see the suffering of our fellow Jews who live in Israel. We pray for healing for those who are wounded. We pray for comfort for those who are grieving loved ones. We pray for a safe return home for those who have been kidnapped. We send strength to those who are sick with worry over missing loved ones. We pray for the soldiers who have been called to service in Israel’s defense. And, as elusive as peace feels at this moment, we pray to continue hoping for and working towards an end to this devastating cycle of violence.
While we are living in this “uncharted territory”, here at Beth Jacob we are coming together by offering prayers for Israel, for peace, for the return of the hostages and the safety of IDF soldiers. We are working with the St. Paul Jewish Federation to raise funds for the Israel Emergency Fund. Thanks to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation we have made available yard signs to show support for Israel and we have available Blue Ribbons to symbolize support and solidarity for the safe return of the hostages to Israel. We have created a relationship with a Masorti sister synagogue (Kehilat Shalhevet Maccabim), and we are gathering every day in community for minyan.
As we continue to grieve and process the war in Israel and Gaza, many of us are still left feeling powerless and overwhelmed, in need of community, ritual, and space for holding all that we are holding. Some of us need to do something helpful and productive. Below are some of the opportunities for engaging in these ways:
MORNING MINYAN: Our morning minyan actually started during the Gulf War so people could come together daily to pray. In the years since our minyan has been a refuge and a place of meaningful community. During this time, we will be reciting extra prayers for Israel and offering each other support.
East Metro Minyan
Monday-Friday: 7:15 am
Rosh Hodesh: 7:00 and Hol Hamoed
Federal Holidays: 8:30 am
Join online at Beth-Jacob.org/Minyan
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: Dedicating our learning to those who do not have that luxury at the moment is a way of strengthening ourselves and our people. We offer weekly classes almost every day of the week: Monday night Talmud, Tuesday Sara Lynn’s class on Hasidic Masters, Wednesday Morning Mishnah, Thursday Dirshuni (modern midrash) and Friday learning after minyan.
Jewish Federation
Jewish Federations are responding, working with our core partners to support victims of terror, help rebuild damaged infrastructure, and address the unprecedented levels of trauma caused by this horrific attack.
JCRC Resource Page
JCRC is here to support the community during this horrific time. We are compiling resources here to support students, parents, employees, and others in communicating about and responding to the atrocities committed by Hamas and the resulting war.
USCJ Resource Page
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism has compiled an extensive resource page, https://uscj.org/israel-resources, which includes prayers, upcoming webinars, and resources for speaking with children about the war.
During the Passover seder, we rise to open the front door and proclaim: All who are hungry, come and eat! This is a ritual manifestation of our core Jewish moral obligation, which emerges directly from the Passover story and the Torah to treat the stranger fairly, generously, even lovingly… because we were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Even as we sit at seder this year, with our hearts broken, maybe even with empty chairs at the table to symbolically remember our captives and their dear, shattered families, we must remember that Gaza is also on the verge of famine. The New Israel Fund is raising money to alleviate hunger in Gaza through the World Central Kitchen and International Rescue Committee—two organizations which have spent the last six months working at tremendous risk to bring aid into Gaza and feed the starving population—and they need our support.
Your donation will help us to:
- Find and rescue the missing
- Provide basic needs for those who have lost everything
- Rebuild homes and infrastructure
- Help our community members to heal and to start rebuilding