Dear Friends,

This has been a brutal year.

On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded the sovereign state of Israel by land, by air, and by sea. I woke up to a flurry of frantic text messages from colleagues and loved ones — including my child living in Israel. “This is really, really bad,” she wrote. We had no idea how bad it would be, how bad it still is.

For me and many others in our community, these attacks and this war have been deeply personal. A dear friend’s son was killed defending one of the kibbutzim that morning. My daughter’s counselor, Hersh Goldberg-Polin — the nephew of another member of our community — was abducted from the Nova Music Festival and was mercilessly executed in August. Others in our community have loved ones who were killed or injured, who have fallen in battle, or who have been held in Gaza. 

This is our family — our homeland — and we have been devastated.  

And, October 7 unleashed a frightening outpouring of hate toward Israel and Jews. We have experienced levels of antisemitism here at home and around the world that I’ve never before seen in my lifetime. 

We are still in the midst of this ongoing trauma, which so many of us are experiencing, in so many different ways.

But that is not the whole story. 

Throughout this year, I’ve been inspired by the spirit and resilience of Israelis who have cared for one another, stepped up when their government failed them, and rebuilt in the face of destruction. I have been encouraged by the ways our community has responded with solidarity, generosity, and love. And, I have been grateful for the many friends and allies who have reached out and stood with us and with Israel at this most vulnerable time. 

As we mark this one-year anniversary, Israel continues to defend itself against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and all those who seek its destruction, rockets have landed in our sister city of Haifa, and 101 hostages remain in Gaza. 

Tonight, I will take comfort in being with the over 3,700 of you who are joining us at An Evening of Remembrance & Hope.

Today, we remember and we grieve. We pray for the soldiers of the IDF, the return of the hostages, and for peace.

Am Yisrael Chai,

Rabbi Marc Baker