Shabbat Shalom ~ Parashat Shemini 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

I want to begin this message by extending my condolences and the thoughts of our community to the Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis. As I am writing this message on Thursday it is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is worth noting that the late pope condemned Antisemitism many times and called it both a sin against God and unchristian. He spent much of his papacy (and prior career) attempting to heal relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish community and build strong ties. While I personally sometimes found his messages or priorities challenging, I understand that is sometimes the role of a religious leader and admire him more for it. His voice will be missed well beyond the Catholic Church.

At noon I attended our county-wide memorial in The Garden of Remembrance in White Plains. It is always so moving to see our Holocaust Memorial Torah march with dozens of others from synagogues around the County – thank you to Sandy Marantz and Amy Fastenberg for carrying our scroll in this year’s parade of honor.

The keynote speaker was Arlette Baker. She survived as a little girl in Paris. In 1942, while her parents were being arrested, her non-Jewish maid carried her to her grandparents. They were able to save her, but her parents perished in Auschwitz. She never saw them again. She was four-years old. As she finished her story she admonished the crowd, “Do not murder them again by forgetting them!” It was a jarring, but clarion call. I hope you will join us Sunday at 10:15am as we remember at our annual Yom HaShoah Memorial Service and the program/concert that will follow: Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble: Songs from Testimonies.

As Arlette Baker told her story I was transported back to my first trip to Auschwitz last summer, participating in The Ride for the Living to support the JCC Krakow. I shared some reflections on that trip in my Yom Kippur remarks. I invite you to reread them by clicking here.

I am proud to say that we have another group of 15 or so riders participating this year, including me, Tami, and our son Simeon. It truly is an incredible experience to turn one’s back on Auschwitz and ride 60 miles to support the important work of the JCC in Krakow – supporting the 80 or so survivors still living in the city and nurturing the growing Jewish community reemerging there. To learn more about participating with us this June 25th to 29th and sharing this incredible experience, click here. And even if you cannot ride with us, you can still participate by supporting our fundraising team for JCC Krakow by clicking on our Ride Fundraising page and donating. It seems a fitting way to commemorate Yom HaShoah and help bring the Jewish light back to this darkest place.

And as we turn the page from Yom HaShoah to Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day) and Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day), we are excited to welcome two important speakers this Shabbat. On Friday evening after our two excellent service options, Traditional Friday Night or Rhythm & Ruach, we will welcome poet Marcie Katz-Tucker (who grew up at WJC!), who recently released her collection of poems, “You Woke the Lions.” It is a collection of poems inspired by and in reaction to October 7th and the Antisemitic attacks that followed.

Then on Saturday morning we are excited to welcome guest speaker Gadi Perl, Vice-Chairman of KKL-JNF, who will speak to honor the upcoming holidays and the importance of voting Mercaz – Slate 17 in the World Zionist Congress election. Voting ends May 4th, so if you’ve forgotten or said “I’ll do it later,” NOW is the time – click here to vote. This is probably the most important thing you will do this year to ensure a vibrant future for pluralistic Judaism and democracy in Israel, as well as support the families of hostages still held in Gaza.

See you in shul,

RJA