(Written on October 1st)
It is, alas, true, that since the first day of its birth more than 76 years ago, the State of Israel has never known even one day of full peace within the region. It is also true that, apart from during the War of Independence, the State of Israel has never had to face an assault of ballistic or any other missiles of death on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
Thus, borrowing from another biblical holiday, we are entitled to acknowledge and to ask: why is New Year 5785 different than all other New Years. The holy day of New Year 5785 arrives as the State of Israel is fighting for its very existence as a sovereign Jewish state in the Moslem Middle East.
Not all the countries of the Middle East wish Israel’s elimination. But some do. And as we have seen through the years, and especially in the past 12 months, these countries act according to their malevolent wishes to achieve their evil aim.
Though Israel bears the overwhelming brunt of the physical and emotional peril wrought by the hatred directed at them, Jews everywhere – since Simchat Torah last year – have also been tested. We are still being tested.
On October 8, 2023 and increasingly after that date, we were taken aback by the outpouring of the anti-Jewish hatred that appeared throughout the western world even before Israel had sent any soldiers into Gaza to fight the Hamas murderers: its ubiquity in the public domain; its pre-planned, calculated nature; its vehemence; its unembarrassed, unfiltered, open calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state and its people; its quick, seamless transmogrification from anti-Israel protest into brazen bullying and intimidation of Jews; and the timid, equivocal, ineffectual responses by elected officials feigning to stop hatred against Jews.
But being taken aback did – does – not mean being stymied or paralyzed from doing the right thing at home to fight against that hatred. For GAJE, doing the right thing is trying to help Jews engage more fully with their Judaism, to help as many of us as possible discover some or any of the myriad paths to feelings of connectedness and of shared destiny with the Jewish people.
The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks eloquently described the mechanics of achieving those feelings of connectedness. “A person is part of a larger historical context and must understand that context and tradition. We are not disconnected fragments of humanity, but are part of an extended family. We gain strength and resilience when we know who we are, where we belong.
Praise belongs to teachers who understand the need for children to spend quality time with their families. Praise belongs to parents and grandparents who genuinely relate to their children and grandchildren in a loving manner, giving generously of their time, listening patiently to the children and grandchildren. Praise belongs to those who value genuine communication, who understand how precious it is to spend quality time with the young generations. Praise belongs to those who understand their history and family traditions, and who find meaningful and happy ways of transmitting these things to their family members. Praise belongs to the nation that understands where it has come from, what it has undergone, where it is headed.”
To paraphrase Rabbi Sacks, and as GAJE has emphasized and re-emphasized over the years, meaningful, long-lasting, individual engagement and connectedness emerge most effectively through Jewish education.
Thus, as we prepare to greet Rosh Hashana 5785, it is our hope that at least part of our emotional response to the sounds of the shofar will be new or strengthened feelings of belonging to the Jewish people, and the commitment to stand alongside other Jews against the purveyors of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hate.
•••
In a decision released September 10, a three-member panel of the Divisional Court agreed with the Province of Ontario that GAJE’s lawsuit for fairness in educational funding should be dismissed. On September 25, GAJE filed a Notice of Motion seeking leave to appeal the court’s decision.
•••
If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit for fairness in educational funding, please click here.
For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com
Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of underwriting the costs of the lawsuit.
•••
Shana Tovah
Shabbat shalom
Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
October 2, 2024
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 