The horrific fighting in Israel not only continues unabated, it is escalating with horrific consequences.
Together we must escalate our help and support to our precious brothers and sisters in Israel suffering such horror.
The pain is unbearable. It will become even more unbearable as the awareness of the enormity of the tragedy starts to be realized.
Scenes that have not been seen since the Holocaust awaken the global Jewish consciousness to the existence of antisemitism that we thought had been relegated to ‘Never Again’.
Many people are asking ‘what will be’?
Upon the conclusion of the Yom Kippur war, Rabbi Yisroel M. Lau (who later became chief Rabbi of Israel) visited the Rebbe and said that people are asking “What is going to be?” The Rebbe answered, ‘One shouldn’t ask, ‘What will be?’ We should ask, ‘What are we going to do?’
In that vein, I would like to share a call to action.
As this is not a time to be paralyzed with pain or fear.
This is time for action.
Help we can. And must. In the ways available to us.
In physical ways
There are multiple organizations that need funds for the soldiers, the emergency workers, and for the families that have their lives disrupted. All of the funds raised will be distributed directly by Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos among people and organizations we know on the ground in Israel.
The funds will be used to support:
– Victims of Terror
– IDF Soldiers
– Equipment
– Food, Shelter & Hygiene
– Spiritual Support
– Trauma & Therapy
And we can help in spiritual ways, based on our holy traditions.
Firstly, we need to be strong in our faith and optimistic about the blessed outcome of this war.
We are an eternal people. We will continue to exist and will continue to flourish. We will continue to be connected to our Torah and our faith, and we will continue to be connected to each other!
Our enemies want us to give up.
Our being positive is critical.
The books of Kabala point out that our positivity down here creates a Divine mirroring of positive energy from Heaven.
Secondly, we need to deploy our spiritual ‘weapons’.
Torah teaches us (and history has repeatedly demonstrated to us) that the physical protection of each one of us — and, indeed, our very collective destiny! — is intrinsically connected to our spiritual activism.
When we pray or dedicate a good deed to our brothers and sisters in Israel, we create a spiritual defense shield for them that will help them through difficult and dangerous times.
In that vein, we have gathered below some of the directives that the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, shared with people worldwide during times of crisis in Israel; positive action we can each take for Israel and its people.
Beneath our superficial differences, we are all united.
We are ONE people.
May Hashem protect our soldiers who are putting their lives on the line to protect our people and our land.
May Hashem bless and protect our hostages wherever they are and may they swiftly be reunited with their families safe and sound.
May the wounded be healed completely and swiftly.
May all our brothers and sisters in our Holy Land be able to live together in safety, security and Shalom.
And may all Jews world over be able to live openly and proudly Jewish lives in safety and security.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos