Thinking Torah Blog

As you may know, I traveled to Israel in mid-November, just weeks after the October 7th Hamas attacks. It was a devastating time to be here. Fear and angst permeated the air, even as Israelis put on brave faces and tried to hold onto some sense of normalcy. This current trip feels very different. While life goes on, yellow ribbons and posters of hostages’ faces are omnipresent in every city, giving the sense that Israelis are running in place, moving but not getting anywhere.

On Tuesday, I visited the NOVA festival site. When I was in the area in November, the site was still closed as they worked to process the carnage and clean up. Today, the NOVA festival site has transformed into a large memorial to the murdered and kidnapped. A friend of mine took a picture as we moved through the memorials erected for the victims. The sign in the image below says, “In a place where there are no words, only an embrace is possible.” In the face of such evil, holding each other is what we must do.

That same day, I accompanied Rabbi Arik Ascherman, a hero and human rights defender, to the West Bank. This journey felt like a meaningful way to acknowledge the suffering on both sides of this conflict. The evil here stems from a similar place as Hamas: an extremist belief that the land is meant for only one people. For nearly 30 years, Rabbi Ascherman has defended the rights of Palestinians, continuing his mission even during these harrowing times. He told us that 18 communities he works with have been displaced since October 7th.

This Sunday morning, Rabbi Ascherman will accompany me again into the West Bank for a live Zoom call with interested Ann Arborites. Join us at 11:30 AM to hear directly from Palestinian Bedouins about their situation. You can use this link to join: https://templebethemeth.zoom.us/j/82462122098.

There is no justification for the atrocities of October 7th—the murders and kidnappings that led directly to a war Israel never wanted. Similarly, there is no justification for the ongoing displacement of West Bank Palestinians. If you care about the future of this region, I urge you to join our Zoom call and learn more about the situation firsthand.