This past month of Tishrei holidays was an inspiring one at Kesher Israel. Yom Kippur was one to remember, with a packed shul, lots of singing throughout the services and joyous dancing during Neilah. A larger number of our members built sukkot—in yards, on porches and in courtyards of apartment buildings.
Shemini Atzeret was both joyous and poignant, balancing the thanks we have for the Torah and the Land of Israel with our paying tribute to those whose yahrzeits we commemorated who were killed last October 7th and in the subsequent ongoing war. The silent hakafah we dedicated to them was led by a Torah covered in a special cloth commemorating a soldier, Sgt. Eran Aloni, 19, who fell in battle in Gaza on December 12, 2023. This hakafah was powerful and indeed brought tears amidst the joy of Simchat Torah. During the last hakafah at night and in the daytime we danced in the street, with added police presence, to show that we are not deterred from fully observing and celebrating—not by our enemies in the Middle East nor by those antisemites who threaten us here in the United States.
One additional highlight of Tishrei for me was attending the 60th wedding anniversary of our longtime members Rona and Allan Mendelsohn. The Kesher Israel community is profoundly blessed to be composed of young professionals who bring vitality, growth and a bright future to our community as well as older members (some of whom have been davening consistently at Kesher for over 60 years) who bring us continuity, wisdom and support.
It was amazing to hear members of Kesher who have been attending the shul for so long reminisce about the old days. At the anniversary event David Epstein recalled the time in 1964 when he and his date and two other couples, including Rona and Allan just before they were married, went on a boat on the Chesapeake for a Sunday jaunt. I asked David how they all knew each other, and he replied, “From Kesher, of course.” Sixty years ago they were the young professionals hanging out together at shul and sailing on the Chesapeake for fun, and today they and others like them are our longtime pillars.
The sense of continuity and history at Kesher Israel supplied by our older members, along with the enthusiasm and new energy of our younger ones, is part of what makes our shul the strong community it is. These gifts, and the impressive roles our members play in the functioning of our country and our world, make Kesher Israel truly unique and one of the most dynamic synagogues in the world. We should remember to take pride in what we have and to utilize our community’s strengths to be a model for the larger Orthodox world, for our people and our society.
My blessings for a good year of security, fulfillment and peace.