A couple of weeks ago at the eye doctor, a woman tapped Rabbi David on the shoulder. “Are you David Degani?” She had heard the his last name being called.  It turns out she is a relative who last saw Rabbi David 50 years ago! Ava became close to Rabbi David during her trips to Israel as a young person in the early 70’s and also spent a year there. They hadn’t stayed in touch but were certainly thrilled to reconnect and plan on staying connected. 

We were all excited to get together a week later and I loved hearing all the stories and perspectives they shared of family and those years in Israel. One thing that really struck me was a vivid memory Ava shared of Rabbi David right after the Yom Kippur War in which he had served. He told her that with all the training as a soldier, no one can really be prepared for the horrors of war. 

As with so many, Rabbi David and I were at first numb with the news of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7th and felt like zombies for the next three days. I don’t even know how we managed to facilitate a service to send prayers the next day. 

These months of hearing and seeing horrors including the rise in anti-semitism have certainly affected all of us.  With news of the hostages being shot - murdered last week, I felt as though my heart was once again shattered into pieces. 

After Moses broke the first set of the Ten Commandments and received the second set, the Israelites still carried those shattered  pieces in the Ark along with the second set of tablets.

And so we honor those pieces of our heart that have been broken as we grieve during these times, continue to pray, take action and keep going. Despite the horrors, nothing can destroy us as the Jewish people for we all carry G-d’s Divine Light within our very cells. It is the Light of Compassion, the Light of Fortitude, the Light of Strength, the Light of Hope, the Light of Peace. Let us shine it together. 

Shalom,

Cantor Lee

Here is a picture Ava took of Rabbi David. He was 19 years old. 

Upcoming Events

Rabbi & Cantor's Messages

Infinite Child Institute

Give a Donation