It is rather strange that this is my first weekly message in over a month. In fact, this is the longest I have gone without communicating with our community since I began writing this weekly message back in April 2020, shortly after the start of the COVID pandemic. I hope your High Holidays were meaningful for you and your family, and that the beginning of 5786 has been a good one for you thus far.

 

As I look back since I last wrote my column, I am struck by the resilience of our community. So much has changed, yet we have remained steadfast in our values and our commitment to one another.

 

With the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas still holding and the return of the hostages last week, along with some (not all) of the bodies of those taken during the October 7th attack, the collective Jewish community is still coming to terms with our new reality and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

 

Locally, our community remains a beacon of unity and collaboration. Yesterday, our Jewish Federation brought together many of our community’s Jewish professionals to continue our conversation on strengthening our community. The commitment of our leaders to work together is truly remarkable, setting us apart from many other communities.

 

I share this because I want you to know how amazing my colleagues are in their commitment and desire to make our local Jewish community the best it can be. After each organization provided a highlight or two of what had been happening since our last meeting six months ago, we delved into exploring current trends facing the Jewish community and ideas on how to respond to them in our respective organizations.

 

During lunch, we also discussed ways our organizations can work more closely together. One of the exciting ideas that came out was the interest in Jewish Federation promoting all of the Adult Education taking place at each organization. This is an excellent opportunity for community members to discover the numerous learning opportunities available within our community. I encourage you to explore and consider attending one in the near future.

 

To close this week’s message, I wanted to make sure you are aware that we are in the midst of the 7th annual United Against Hate Week. This program is sponsored locally by LA vs. Hate, a program of the LA County Commission on Human Relations. Since 2017, California’s state and local leaders, community members, activists, and so many others have come together to stand United Against Hate. The message is clear - we reject hate of any kind and believe that building a safer and more equitable world starts by working together.

 

In that spirit, I ask that each of us do something to mark this week and do what we can to stand united against hate.