Shabbat Shalom ~ Miketz-Hanukkah 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

I know many of us are still reeling from the Anti-Jewish terror attacks that have occurred over the past week, especially the attack on the Hanukkah Candle Lighting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. That attack resulted in the death of fifteen people, among them two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor, and a ten-year old girl named Matilda. We mourn them and all and our prayers go out to their families and the entire Jewish community in Australia grappling with a new reality and an existence that will never be quite the same.

You may have heard that our own Rabbi Menachem Creditor’s brother-in-law, Arsen Ostrovsky, was shot in the back of his head and injured. A few more millimeters to one side and we’d be having a different conversation about him. After 15 stitches and surgery to remove shrapnel, he is home and expected to make a full recovery. He and his wife Tzeira moved from Israel to Australia just two-weeks prior to the attack. Arsen moved to Australia to fight growing Antisemitism working for an organization called Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. The organization’s work is now more important than ever and is also providing tremendous support for the family (sadly including protection). 

If you are looking for a way to give to help with the situation in Australia, I will be collecting donations to be made to Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council in Arsen’s honor – unfortunately there is no way to give directly from their website. So, if you would like to support this cause, please make a donation to the WJC Discretionary Fund and put “Australia” in the memo line. Of course, if you would like to talk to someone about how you are feeling about these things, the clergy is always here for you. Just reach out to set up a time for us to meet (I will be out of town on vacation next week, but Rabbi Dalton and Cantor Goldberg will be here). Thank you and may the light of the miracle of Hanukkah banish the darkness of hate and terrorism we are experiencing.

While we are on the topic of giving, I want to thank everyone who came forward to help with SNAP and hunger relief last month. We raised just over $5000 dollars for hunger relief in our congregation and the local community. Some was distributed to individuals in need and the remainder will be distributed to local Food Pantries and Feeding Westchester.

As we reflect on the attacks of the last week and the rise of Antisemitism in the US and abroad, education and our relationships with our neighbors feel more important than ever. In that spirit, we hope you will join us after the Rhythm & Ruach service on January 16th – that’s the Friday night of MLK Weekend. At 8pm my guest will be Elder Mark McLean of Generations Church in New Rochelle and the Inter-Religious Council of New Rochelle. I had the privilege of traveling with Elder Mark in Israel a few years ago on an interfaith Westchester Jewish Council trip. He is a friend and a supporter of Israel. We will be discussing the importance of community partnerships at this moment and always.

For the Rhythm & Ruach service that evening we are looking for a few congregants who would be willing to give a short kavanah (speech) about their personal experiences during the Civil Rights Movement or how Martin Luther King Jr’s teaching or movement has personally impacted their lives or behaviors. If you have a story to share, please contact me and let me know you are interested.

We also have a Rhythm & Ruach service tonight in the spirit of Hanukkah, in addition to our regular service (starting at the unusual time of 4pm to give us time to light Hanukkah candles before Shabbat begins). At 8pm, after Rhythm & Ruach several congregants will share their journeys exploring their family genealogies and sharing tips for how to take such a journey yourself. I hope you’ll join us for some part of the evening or all of it. Saturday morning we will have our regular services and I will be teaching the last Saturday morning Torah Talk of 2025!

See you in shul,

RJA