Never Again

Never Again. We were raised on these words. We were sure that this could never happen again. This past week so much has been written that I did not feel the need to add my voice to this repetition. Until I realized that as a Jew I have an obligation to not remain silent.

We are Jews. We are Jews before we are our nationality. We are Jews before we are our professions. We worry about the safety of our children and grandchildren, our elders, our peers, because no one appears to be spared. We have lived our entire lives knowing there are places we are not comfortable for they are filled with the hate and rage of those who want us dead. For centuries.

We did not expect our homes to be one of these places… again.

We don’t own this space. But what we do fear is that even those who have had to suffer a similar plight, or those who habitually speak out in their defense, are finding it hard to stand by us. The knowledge that this is going to get much worse sickens us. That other innocents will suffer in the wake of our only option for survival is counter to all our beliefs.

Our collective shock from the terrorism is horrifying enough, but the reactions that reflect how truly broken our country and our world have become; these are what frighten us most.

I am left here, to bring to our lives the only thing that can help us bear what has happened.

Hatikva (The Hope). I hear this anthem and I am brought back to the Hebrew school days of my childhood. When I complained about having to attend and now I am so very grateful to my parents for giving me a solid Jewish education.

Now I get chills when I hear the soldiers waiting to go into battle singing this in unison. When I read of communities around the world gathering to chant these words together. NYC organizing to sing this out their windows at a set time the way they cheered for healthcare workers each night during the pandemic.

HOPE. All caps. Because when there is chaos the only antidote is hope.

Please note: commenting will be turned off for this post, because… I would like to end with hope.