Monday evening, Congregation Neveh Shalom hosted a poignant vigil in memory of the six hostages murdered by Hamas. Over 600 people participated in the beautiful and meaningful service. Thank you to the clergy and leadership of Congregation Neveh Shalom for making this healing service possible.

 

I encourage you to listen this podcast, Identity/Crisis with Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. He shares many thoughtful insights about the killing of the hostages and the current situation.

 

Today, at 10:00 a.m., Jewish Family and Child Service is providing a group community space online for processing the array of emotional and physiological responses to this tragedy. Click here for Zoom link.

 

Our community will be holding a special memorial service on Sunday, October 6 to mark the first anniversary of the horrific October 7 attacks. We will come together for an evening of song and prayer in memory of those impacted by this war and to give hope for the return of all the hostages. Registration is required for security purposes. Please register here.

 

 

At our staff meeting earlier this week, I shared with my colleagues that summer is over. Labor Day has passed. Schools are back in session. Programming is gearing up. And, I cannot wear white shoes. It also means our 2025 Annual Campaign for Community Needs is beginning!

 

The longtime CEO of the Jewish Federation in Cleveland used to say the success of non-profits is not measured by dollars raised – it is based on the growth in the number of donors. The number of donors is a referendum on the work you are doing and level of trust. I am proud that last year we saw a 13% increase in the number of donors. Our goal this year is to grow by 15% more. Please help us make that a reality by being one of the first to make your contribution here.

 

One of our funding partners, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world's leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, does incredible work overseas. Earlier this week, I met with JDC’s Shawna Dolinka, who shared with me their efforts in both Ukraine and Israel with the support of our annual campaign.

 

On Wednesday, the city of Lviv in western Ukraine underwent intense bombings. It was reported that seven people were killed and 53 people wounded. Some 50 civilian buildings in the city’s historical area were damaged and one of the direct hits partially destroyed a building only a 5-minute walk from Lviv’s Hesed Arieh (Jewish cultural center). Currently, we know of four JDC elderly clients and one staff person whose apartments were damaged during the attack. As in Poltava, the Hesed is providing necessary support with fixing broken windows, and JDC’s Trauma Support Center is providing psychological support as needed. These attacks serve as a stark reminder that nowhere in Ukraine is safe from the continued bombings, and people continue to struggle as the crisis nears its third year.

 

Igor Cherevko, the Director of Lviv’s Hesed Arieh remarked - “Our professional team monitors the news to know which districts got hit, and our caseworkers start to call our community members from the first minutes after the attacks. We face stress and anger, understanding that our past and the places of our memories got destroyed, but we are trying to focus on the present. We are trying to help everyone who needs our help, and we continue our programs if we feel that our members need them to get distracted by the attack. I think our biggest strength as a community lies here - in our unity!"

 

We are grateful to the dedicated staff and volunteers in Ukraine who risk their lives daily to care for Jewish community members under such challenging conditions.

 

In the news here, we hear mostly about what is going on in Gaza. We, however, do not hear enough about the constant rocket and drone attacks from Hezbollah on Israel’s north.

 

Each day, residents of northern Israel wake to sirens and fires blazing in the once lush fields near their homes. The situation in the north is urgent, with a looming threat of further escalation. Thousands have evacuated, yet those still in the area face grave dangers to their security and well-being. Many of these Israelis are elderly, have disabilities, or are socioeconomically disadvantaged. They face barriers in accessing essential services and coping with the stress and trauma of living under fire. They need immediate and effective assistance to protect them. Local authorities, lacking resources, struggle to support residents amid threats of escalation of war. Immediate action is crucial to help communities reach out to vulnerable citizens and ensure emergency preparedness.

 

In preparation for the possibility of a full-scale war, JDC is currently distributing emergency kits to 30,000 households (representing approximately 120,000 people) in 16 northern municipalities. These kits include critical items needed during a large-scale attack that will result in disruptions to power and other critical services. The kits include: Battery-powered transistor radio, wireless phone charger, re-chargeable flashlight, and a first-aid kit.

 

Here is a short video about the kits.

 

In addition, elderly residents receive an activities booklet, including a stress ball and strength band, a whistle, and safety instructions in Hebrew/Arabic/Russian. Families with babies and young children get an activities booklet and a guidebook for the parents. And, people with disabilities receive an activities booklet, a whistle, and tailored safety instructions. We are doing all we can to prepare these people in case of a major attack.

 

We are proud to partner with the JDC as they continue to monitor the situations closely in Ukraine and Israel and their efforts to meet emerging needs – with our community’s support.

 

Finally, I have recently been adding an interesting (at least I hope so) factoid at the end of some of my emails. Well, today is the 125^th anniversary of evaporated milk. What even is evaporated milk? It is fresh milk that has been heated so that around 60% of the water content evaporates. After it is evaporated, it is homogenized, canned, and then goes through a heat sterilization treatment that is part of the canning process. Carnation made its first can today in 1899 and has been a staple in baking ever since.

 

Shabbat shalom.