Today is a very painful and difficult day for each and every one of us, as we mark the one year anniversary of the horrific attacks of Oct 7th when thousands of Hamas terrorists and their civilian supporters entered Israel and massacred and murdered over 1200 Israelis and took well over 200 hostages.
The pain makes your heart ache and the sadness is so pervasive, as we think of the young children who were murdered in such a cruel way in front of their parents, and the parents who were murdered in front of their children, the many other terrible atrocities, and the terrible difficult situation of the 100 remaining hostages and their families.
Since the events of Oct 7th, a terrible war has ensued that has taken so many of our young and brave heroes and caused so much suffering, in a war that was forced on Israel and in many ways, on the Jewish people everywhere.
The celebrations that began on Oct 8th in so many parts of the world and in our own campuses, that celebrated the massacre, just twisted the painful knife even deeper, as the scourge of antisemitism came front and center for so many of us.
Today we REMEMBER
Those who were begging to be saved for hours and sometimes for more than a full day, and yet help didn’t come…
Today we REMEMBER
The terrible images of so many of the men, women and children who were taken hostage, and now for a full year, so many of them are still being held hostage, from the little Bibas children, to Agam Berger and Yosef Ohana, who we have become close with their families, and so many dozens of others, who we have gotten to know over the last twelve months.
Today we REMEMBER
The 878 civilians who were killed in Israel, including 53 children who were murdered, and the many hundreds of brave heroes of the IDF who were killed defending their people.
Today we REMEMBER AND THINK ABOUT
The 921 orphans and the 1,078 parents who lost children since Oct 7th in Israel, and the 119 parents who have been left with no children at all.
Today we Remember & Pray
For the nearly 100 Hostages who remain suffering in tunnels in Gaza, forsaken by the world.
Today we Remember
We are here to pray for an end to the suffering of all innocent people who are victims of the terrorists and their supporters in so many places.
They may have not been our family members or even people we know, but as part of our people, they really were.
Certainly since then, they have become our family members, who we know so much about, carry their pain, and do all we can to pray and do a Mitzvah in their merit, and of course to advocate for their release.
The murder and maiming of people simply because they were Jewish or worked with the Jews, especially on this scale, is something we never imagined we would ever see in our lifetime, and it is an event that took us back in time, to some of the darker moments of our history. Those who clamor for human rights for so many others, were silent, or at times gloated…. It was a difficult year, and it is still is.
Yet, as I mentioned on Rosh Hashanah, the famous Biblical Prophet Bilaam who came to curse the Jews and ends up blessing them, said about the Jewish people thousands of years ago “He crouches and lies like a lion, like a lioness; who will dare rouse him?”
On Oct 8th as we processed the pain, we saw the Lion rise, in Israel, as 400,000 soldiers reported for duty, and around the world as millions rallied together, to unite, to donate, and to help our brothers and sisters face this terrible challenge,
Those who came to cause harm on Oct 7th at the Nova Festival in the Kibbutzim and villages, have caused untold pain and suffering, which we will probably live with forever. Yet the spirit of the Jewish people has always risen from the ashes, and will always plow onwards to overcome challenges, as difficult as they are, because we know, we have a job to do, to be strong, to be a society and people of light and kindness, and at the same to protect ourselves from the evil that exists.
In my 20 years as being a Rabbi, this was by far the hardest and most painful. I like so many of you, cried at times, as the scope of the evil sunk in, and I heard and discussed the pain of so many others.
In recent months, I have been to Israel twice, and during those visits, I have spent time with the families of the hostages, with the wounded, including those who lost limbs, with bereaved parents, and with so many who are on the frontlines of defending our people.
Beneath all the pain, I realized that we are seeing a resilient people in a way that we could probably have never imagined.
Imagine, spending hours talking to parents of hostages, and walking out blown away by their hope, positivity, faith, and determination to encourage people to do more Mitzvahs and acts of kindness in honor of their children.
I have spoken to parents who lost their children on Oct 7th and it is completely mind blowing to see them live life with joy and positivity and be full of gratitude.
The soldiers on the frontlines, are full of determination, even after having lost friends, to overcome this evil, and restore security and bring back the hostages.
Today we grieve and connect with our pain and the pain of our people and we honor the memory of all of those who have perished this year.
Today we also strengthen our determination, to never stop being proud of who we are, and to continue to live even more as a vibrant Jewish community, who help better ourselves, and the world around us, and do all we can to help and support Israel, along with doing whatever we can spiritually and physically to help bring back the hostages and restore security.
Thank you to the nearly 200 of you who came together last night to gather on this painful day, and for supporting and gaining strength from each other.
On Oct 7th in the morning, I lost my good friend Adi Baharav Rabinovitz, who lived in Moshav Netiv Hasarah and was a part of the First Response Security Team.
Adi, was a good friend, who I had gotten to know through visiting his parents in Framingham, as well as his family Oz and Ann and then his daughter Hila and Naor. Always with a smile and always authentic, and always with a sense of mission, and willing to put his life on his line to help others.
The first text I received after the holiday of Simchat Torah, was from my friend Oz, Adi’s brother, telling me “my brother, your friend was killed in combat”.
We are grateful to Adi's family for sharing his story with us last night and honoring his memory in such a powerful and raw way!
Adi was a hero who saved lives in his last moments on earth.
We will continue to honor his memory!
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We would also like to thank the different community members who spoke up last night, and gave a voice to standing up, fighting back, being proud Jews, and advocacy for the hostages.
Thank you Hadassa Kubat, a child survivor of the Holocaust, who has also lived in Israel, who share such important words, including how she described the only time she saw her father cry, (despite surviving himself but losing 50 family members in the Holocaust), was when he cried how grateful he was that he could be Jewish and live in Israel.
Thank you to Gabrielle Henken, for the powerful words and message regarding how as American Jews, we can all stand up and help our brothers and sisters, and be voices that advocate for the hostages and those suffering.
Thank you to Ravit Reichman, for reading the powerful story of Roei Wolf and the unity that was so apparent at his funeral.
Thank you to Simona Zilberberg, who spoke of her experiences as a senior in College, during this very difficult year, and how it made her be a prouder Jew, as she celebrates her Judaism even more proudly than ever, and encourages friends to do the same, and continues to be an advocate for Israel and the hostages.
Thank you to Michal Shvartzman a senior at LS, who spoke about the Jewish Club she has started at the High School, and how the events of this past year, have made her respond not by lowering heads in fear or shame, but on encouraging others to learn and understand and celebrate the beauties of Judaism.
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Last night we gifted the book "A Time to Heal - Special Edition for Oct 7th". If you were not able to be there, and would like a copy, please email us to schedule a pickup of your copy.
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Please take a moment to say an extra prayer for the victims, for the hostages, for the brave heroes of the IDF, and for everyone who is suffering through this.
We pray for better times ahead and security and peace, and we pray and hope that the families who have gone through so much healing, know of no more suffering.
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Thank you to everyone in the community who have come together to show support so many times over this past year, to hear speakers from the Nova Fest, Survivors, Family Members of Hostages, and so many others.
Thank you to everyone who have helped support our community's efforts at making a dent in the pain and in the needs of all those impacted by Oct 7th. With your help we continue to share support with families of victims, hostage families, the wounded, the displaced, frontline heroes and so many more.
It may be just a small difference on the big scale, but to each person who receives this help and support from our community, they are eternally grateful knowing that have their backs, and that we are really one family.
Am Hanetzach Lo Mefached Mederech Arucha!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Rabbi Freeman
Chabad Center of Sudbury