Hebrew Congregation of Somers
 A Somers Synagogue and Temple that welcomes interfaith families from Westchester and Putnam and provides progressive Hebrew and religious school education for children and adults

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A Message from the Rabbi


A few years ago I attended my friend’s son’s high school graduation in Tel Aviv.  Graduations in Israel aren’t quite as fancy as ours; the “caps and gowns” were made out of colored paper.  There were no proms with formals for the girls, tuxedoes for the boys and limousines for all.  But the kids were joyful without the fancy accoutrements.  They had the same kind of ceremony we have in this country.  The boring speeches by the principal and local politicians, the awarding of diplomas and awards for excellence; the video showing the graduates as children and as the fine young adults they had become.  Then I started to cry. I cried because I was suddenly struck by the difference between our kids’ graduations and theirs. 

For most of us here in America, graduation means the college application process and, when we see our friends’ children, we ask them about where they’ve applied for college or where they are going.  In Israel, high school graduation means the application process for Israel Army units (yes, you actually apply for your unit in Israel) and the typical question one asks of both boys and girls is to which military unit they have been accepted. Within a very few months they will all – boys and girls – be serving in the IDF and, in many cases, risking their lives to defend the Jewish People.  For most Israeli kids, this means their future is essentially put on hold for a few years.  And, just like so many of our American members of the military who come home from Iraq  wounded either physically or emotionally or both, so do many of the kids in Israel who serve in the West Bank.  This is why I feel so strongly about our obligation to support our troops not only in America but in Israel, irrespective of whether we agree with a particular governmental decision.

 But Israel’s army is unique.  Being a Jewish army means having Jewish values.  Being a Jewish army means that instead of the soldiers going on “R & R” (rest and recreation) they go on “R & E” (rest and education.)  So they reserve part of their time off to study Judaism and Jewish texts and struggling with the question of how to apply this to what they do as soldiers.  The material we use in our adult education program and that is e-mailed to you before most holidays is the same material that they study.  Many of our members may remember our guest speaker, Prof. Benjamin Ish-Shalom, who spoke to us about the dilemma of being an occupying power in the Palestinian areas but trying to preserve Jewish values.  He is the Rector of Beit Morasha, the institute that designed and administers this program for the IDF.
 

Others remember our guest speaker Capt. “Eytan” from the Duvdevan Battalion.  This is a special unit of the IDF that is responsible for arresting terrorists in the West Bank.  They risk their lives to make these arrests, sometimes even disguising themselves to blend in with the local population.  On more than one occasion, members of the unit have died because the Jewish values that they studied caused them to sacrifice their lives rather than risk the lives of civilians.  When I visited them a while ago, I asked their commander what we American Jews could do to help them.  He explained to me that, being an elite unit, they get all the equipment and supplies they need.  But the one thing they would like more of is the opportunity for more of their soldiers to attend the Beit Morasha R&E program and to do so more often.
 

I know these are tough times for all of us in many different ways.  But on behalf of these young people who sacrifice so much (you can’t even get into the Duvdevan unless you commit to six years active duty) I would really appreciate any financial help you can give.  I have arranged with Beit Morasha for a special segregated fund to be set up in our name devoted to providing additional programming for the Duvdevan.  Please send whatever you can by means of a check made payable to “American Friends of Beit Morasha.” If you would send it to me, I can make sure that it gets applied to the proper account.  Thank you in advance for your help.

 

            Sincerely,

            Rabbi Fred