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Letter from Israel No 53 (Shemini Chag Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Shabbat Bereshit)

In Israel we all welcomed the killing of Yahya Sinwar. He was the architect of the horrific October 7th attack and had no compassion in killing Israelis and Palestinians alike. He was also at the top of a list of leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah who have been eliminated. We now pray that this will lead to the release of our hostages and a ceasefire. Yet, rockets and drones continue to rain down on Israel from Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies. Therefore, we must continue to be alert and especially on Simchat Torah which marks the year since we were so cruelly attacked. And as we in Israel continue to defend ourselves   while keeping the last days of the festivals, several media outlets, including the BBC and Sky, continue to portray Israel as the aggressor, and there are sickening images of anti-Israel protestors on the streets of London, eulogising Sinwar. Therefore, we must not be deterred from upholding our Jewish identity and support for Israel.

These days, Shemini Chag Atzeret, Simchat Torah, and Shabbat Bereshit, offer us the opportunity to do just that. On Shemini Chag Atzeret we celebrate Jewish continuity, and with Yizkor, we remember our loved ones together with the victims of the Holocaust and members of Israel’s Defence Forces who lost their lives in the defence of Israel. And we say the Prayer for Rain, which connects the Jewish People with the land, and especially the Land of Israel. On Simchat Torah we celebrate the centrality of the Torah to Jewish life when we complete and renew the annual cycle of the reading of the Torah. And on Shabbat Bereshit, we affirm the uniqueness of the human condition which Gםd created in His image, and as Rashi says, it affirms the Divine connection of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel.

Therefore, let us utilise these days to strengthen our resolve to stand against our enemies both here in Israel and beyond; comfort and support the bereaved; and pray for the return of our hostages, and stand proud as Jews and determined that we will not be defeated.  

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