Dear Friends,

These are undeniably difficult times for our Jewish community around the world. I believe that the strongest way to fight back against those who seek to strike fear in our hearts is to keep showing up: to gather, build joyful Jewish life, and express our Jewish identities loudly, proudly, and in full public view.

Last week, we watched another violent act of Jew-hatred in Michigan. More than anything, I am grateful to my colleagues in CJP’s Community Security Initiative and to our close partners in local and state law enforcement for doing everything they can to keep us safe. We pray for the full recovery of the brave synagogue security guard who was injured.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support community safety, I encourage you to attend CJP’s webinar Tuesday, March 17 — Special Briefing on Communal Security — to learn practical steps we can all take to stay vigilant and prepared.

I also spoke several times this week to friends, family, and colleagues in Israel — they are resilient and strong, but they are also exhausted. Once again, they are running to safe rooms throughout the days and nights, and those with young children are just trying to preserve some sense of normalcy.

CJP has made several initial Israel Emergency Fund grants to address the urgent needs that we and our partners have identified in Israel, including to the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Joint Distribution Committee, the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, and the community of Beit Shemesh. These grants make a real difference in people’s lives, and I’m proud that we chose to give as part of this community and as an expression of solidarity and loving support for our Israeli family.

Perhaps this is one of the deeper meanings behind the name of this week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel. The name means “and you shall gather together [the Israelites],” and comes from the same Hebrew root as the word for community — kehillah.  In the closing chapters of the Book of Exodus, Moses gathers "the whole Israelite community" and repeats to them, in painstaking detail, the instructions for building the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

This repetition of the instructions to build the Tabernacle occurs immediately after the story of the golden calf — an act of rejection and rebellion that could have put an end to the Jewish People and the Jewish story — perhaps because the Israelites were emerging from their own traumatic experience. How could they make such an egregious mistake? They were reeling from fleeing slavery and Egypt. They were afraid of what the journey through the wilderness might entail. And they were worried and impatient with Moses being up on Mount Sinai for so long. And so, they acted out.

Moses convinced God to forgive the people, to give them another chance. But how do you recover from such a painful experience, restore trust in your leaders and one another, and find the faith to continue forward despite the unknown?

The answer: vayakhel. The tikkun (repair) for collective failure, brokenness, and loss is, in fact, community. Come together, contribute, and build. Create something that reflects sacred teachings and values, a place that will bind community together even when so many forces threaten to pull us apart.

That is what the Jewish community always does. At a time when our family in Israel is struggling, and our fellow Jews across the U.S. are frightened, powerful expressions of connection and love, like emergency grants, solidarity missions, and even a FaceTime call with people we care about, can make all the difference.

That’s the beauty of vayakhel: When our family is hurting, we stay in it together.