DearFriends,
As we approach Passover with thehostages still very much on our minds, the organizers of Bring Them Home Noware planning to hold a 2nd Community Vigil on Sunday April 7th between12:00pm-2:00pm on the El Curtola Overpass (that’s on Highway 24 right before680), We pray that they are able to sit at their families’ Seder Table thisyear.
The longer theconflict goes on, the harder it is to be hopeful and the more confusingeverything can sometimes seem. Two writers that have helped me parse a lot ofthis out and that I highly recommend are Haviv Rettig Gur (Senior Analystat the Times of Israel) and Bassem Eid (a Palestinian living in East Jerusalembut a strong advocate for Israel’s right to defense and human rights ingeneral).
In themeantime, I continue to pray for the return of the hostages, for the safety ofIsraelis, particularly in the South and North and for those who defend them,that humanitarian aid reaches those in dire need in the Gaza Strip, and ofcourse, for peace, as far off as that might seem.
L’ shalom,
Rabbi Mark Bloom
