Thinking Torah Blog

For two decades, Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families have gathered on Erev Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) for a joint Memorial Ceremony. Organized by The Parents Circle – Families Forum, the ceremony’s courageous message is this: “We are all suffering and only by meeting in our shared pain can we end the violence.”

That message has never been easy for many Israelis to hear; this year—after the horrors of October 7—it has become even harder. As in years past, Palestinian speakers were denied entry permits to Israel, so the event was streamed online. Many communities gather across Israel to watch the ceremony. One such community was Beit Samueli, a Reform congregation in Ra’anana. About eighty people came to watch. Partway through the screening, a violent screaming mob surrounded the building, blocked the doors, hurled stones, and pounded on the glass. Police ultimately evacuated community members under guard. People there feared for their lives. Among those attacked were Rabbi Chen Ben Or Tzfoni, the community rabbi and Orly Erez-Likhovski, head of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), who was injured by rocks thrown at her car.

I wish I didn’t have to share this. Yet silence would betray our values. The attempted lynching in Ra’anana is a flashing warning light: Israelis are facing growing radicalization and extremism, and liberal values are eroding. What happens in Israel does reach us here; the past nineteen months have made that painfully clear.

What We Can Do—Today

1.  Bear witness. Watch the Memorial Ceremony on YouTube. Hear the voices of loss that extremists tried to silence.

2.  Strengthen the defenders. IRAC is on the legal front line against religious coercion and hate. Learn more about the Parent Forum. If you’re able, please donate.

3.  Vote your values. The World Zionist Congress allocates hundreds of millions of dollars that shape Israeli society. Elections close May 4. Cast your ballot for Slate #3 – Vote Reform and amplify the voice of pluralistic Judaism.

Pain alone will not heal Israel, but empathy, courage, and committed action will help. Let’s stand with those who refuse to let grief be weaponized, and who insist that every human life—Israeli or Palestinian—is sacred.