B’Tselem Elohim: A Message From Your Clergy

Yehuda Amichai wrote, “A man doesn’t have time in his life
to have time for everything.
He doesn’t have seasons enough to have
a season for every purpose. Ecclesiastes
Was wrong about that.”

Once again, in a series of violent attacks, terrorists in the streets of Israel, most recently in Tel Aviv, have stolen the most precious gift – the remaining lifetime of innocent people. With bullets and bombs, terrorists have taken away their time for love, for life, for joy, for family as they indiscriminately murder Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, elderly, young adults and children along the way.

We condemn this hateful behavior – this attempt to harm any pathway to lasting peace between peoples. We stand in support of Israel, her right to exist, to flourish, to defend herself as the homeland of the Jewish people and oppose any kind of attempt to diminish with moral ambiguity the horror of this behavior. We stand in support of Israelis and Palestinians resolving those hard issues at the peace table.  

We have no more time for this type of hate or violence whether in the Promised Land, in Ukraine, in Myanmar, in Mali, truly anywhere. Instead let us use our precious time to see the holy and the hope in each one of us, in our beautiful diversity, in all the seasons of our lives, all a reflection of God.

— Your Emanu-El Clergy Team