2023-10-08 04:02:02
NEW YORK (AP) — The Jewish diaspora woke up Saturday in horror at what was supposed to be one of the most festive occasions in the Jewish holiday calendar.
The attacks by the extremist group Hamas took place at the end of Sukkot, a week-long celebration to commemorate the harvest season and the time when Jews lived in the desert following their liberation from slavery in Egypt.
It also took place as Jews in the United States prepared to celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah, which marks the beginning of the new annual reading cycle of the Torah Scroll and is observed in Israel a day earlier.
Synagogues around the world had a somber atmosphere due to the Hamas incursion.
Rabbi Felicia L. Sol began her morning activities at B’Nai Jeshurun in New York City, briefing the congregation on the devastating toll from the Hamas attack by air, sea and land.
On a date that is supposed to be full of joy, many people, in contrast, began “the holiday knowing that we might not possibly celebrate as we would if this, obviously, had not happened,” he indicated.
The day, he said, will continue “with less melody” while the followers of Judaism joined him “praying for things to be resolved, for the wounded to heal and so that we can cross this path through the existing pain.”
The Simchat Torah raid on Israel revived painful memories of the 1973 Middle East War nearly 50 years later, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack during Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day and an occasion for atonement and forgiveness.
“It seems to me that has often been the case in these wars, that Israel is usually attacked on a holiday or during the Sabbath,” said Jack Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress. “That’s why I don’t think this happens by accident.”
The attack drew condemnation from Jewish communities and organizations stretching from Miami to Vancouver. The Pew Research Center estimated that the Jewish population in the United States was 7.5 million in 2021, while its main communities are concentrated in the New York and Los Angeles areas.
Maxim Jacobs, 48, said the mood was sad during Saturday morning services at his synagogue in New Jersey, with worshipers worried regarding their relatives living in Israel.
However, I was looking forward to a festive evening for Simchat Torah. He said the rabbi told congregants that in addition to traveling to Israel to help defend the country, people can move forward by being cheerful.
“We need to get closer, have joy and tell the terrorists that they will not take us down,” Jacobs said. “We will move forward as Jews.”
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