What a momentous week. Four events have persisted in our consciousness:
- The News of Attacks: Waking up on Monday morning to the news of attacks on three Hatzola ambulances. A terrible sense of dread and fear reverberated through the Jewish community and beyond, followed by anger and outrage. The police and CST have been attentive and engaged and we are assiduously following their protocol and advice. Please look out for two security guards at our gates and notice the enhanced measures around our front door. This comes alongside a plea for those willing and able to join our security efforts. It is a plea, not a ‘three-line whip.’ Times are tense but we remain strong, careful and committed as we approach Pesach.
- Royal Patronage: King Charles III becoming a patron of CST, the second Jewish charity he has chosen to support with his patronage. This message of concern speaks loudly and powerfully.
- A Milestone in the Church: Bishop Sarah Elizabeth Mullally’s leadership and presence in the Church. It is a remarkable message of progress, considering that for centuries these roles were held only by men. Indeed, it has been only 32 years since women were first ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994. The sense of possibility has been incredibly moving to witness. She reflected that her teenage self could not have imagined such a life. Please see the wonderful reflection below by our own Rabbi Charley Baginsky, joint CEO of Progressive Judaism, who was invited to attend the ceremony in Canterbury.
- A Community in Mourning: Lastly, along with many of our young people from FPS,I attended the devastating funeral of Guy Winchcombe, 19. Guy was a beloved member of the LJY Netzer community. So many LJY bogrim(graduates) spilled out of the large chapel at Golders Green Crematorium, tearful and devastated. And yet, they showed up for his family and each other, taught as they are of the responsibility to do so even, and especially, in unbearable grief.
All of these events are tied together by one verse in this week’s parashat, Tzav. While it is a challenging portion pertaining to priestly rites, there is nonetheless a message of longevity: some things are worth persisting.
אֵ֗שׁ תָּמִ֛יד תּוּקַ֥ד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֹ֥א תִכְבֶּֽה
The constant fire on the altar must not go out.
Repeated again and again, the message is clear: we must not break the continuity. The fire, the commitment, the memory, the sense of being part of a community must be kept alive and alight. As we work to provide care and concern for our community during these tense times, while resisting the urge to let a ‘lachrymose history’ surface, we try hard to maintain hope, pride, connection and love. We do this so that we may pass these values to our children and to the children of others. We maintain the flame. That is our reminder and our blessing this Shabbat.
See you tonight at FPS, where I will be leading our service.
Shabbat Shalom to all.
Rebecca
Proud that Rabbi Baginsky represented us and captured this moment and the challenge posed.
