Dear Friends,
Yesterday was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. With music, ritual, prayer and memorial readings congregations and communities around the world spent time remembering the 11 million people who were murdered in the Holocaust. This global observance devoted to recalling the horrors of the past is made with the hope that we can eradicate such atrocities in the present and the future.
Sadly, antisemitism is on the rise around the world; genocides continue to erupt across the globe; and daily acts of hate and violence continue to plague our streets. It is for this reason that the observance of Yom HaShoah remains so important as we seek to open the eyes, hearts, and minds of the consequences of perpetuating fear, intolerance, and hate.
This Friday night we will set aside sacred time at HCRJ to remember and reflect during our Sabbath worship services. With musical selections performed by our High Holy Day cellist, Kathy Audas, and liturgical meditations read by our 6th grade students, we will take time to remember the Shoah. Our hope is to inspire each generation of our community to refrain from being bystanders to injustice, intolerance and hate in our world today.
L’Shalom,
Steve