“All eyes on Amsterdam”. I’ve seen that meme in my Facebook feed, and I want to talk about it a little bit with you.

Amsterdam is only the latest incident of antisemitic and anti-Israel violence in Europe. On this side of the pond, the only kosher restaurant in Washington DC was vandalized, its glass smashed, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht. 

Are we dreaming? Is this really happening? We’ve felt and mostly have been so safe in our communities in America for so long. We want to believe that catastrophe could never happen again, but deep down many of us know that it could.

The anger, fear, confusion. disappointment, powerlessness, despondence you may feel, are all natural and logical reactions to the state of the world.

We do need to keep an eye on Amsterdam. We need to look at what happened there and elsewhere, and we need to consider how we are going to address it and how we’re going to let it affect us. 

It is a very difficult time to be a Jew. Frankly, it’s a very difficult time to be a person. I really wish there were something uplifting and comforting I could say that would not ring hollow. 

How nice it would be to have a platitude that would make everybody feel better, would make everybody feel secure, would calm everybody down.  But anything that would do all those things would be a disservice to you.

What I can say that I hope will not be a disservice to you is that I am here for all of you. And I know that you are here for each other. As always, my door is always open. I’m here to listen and to support you.

The Jewish people will survive. We have overcome each and every obstacle and tyrant in our way. Judaism will survive, but there are Jewish people who have not and will not survive this round of terror. I pray our safety and sense of security will.

We must be vigilant. We must be united, even when we disagree. We must stay true to our Jewish values. 

That is how we will rise above and ensure that our people and our traditions live on.