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Dear Friends:
It would be hard to look at the summer of 2021 and see hope. The Delta variant is raging, which has us masked, worried, wary and weary again.
The collapse of Kabul and the fall of Afghanistan, and the desperation of its citizens, are beyond heartbreaking. The earthquake in Haiti and the tragic loss of so many lives, extreme fire and extreme flooding throughout our nation and world, remind us that our very planet is in danger in ways that cause suffering to scores of innocents.
Where is hope to be had? Or in the words of the prophet Jeremiah, is there any balm in Gilead?
There is hope to be had. And that hope is the only land whose national anthem is entitled The Hope, our beloved eretz Yisrael.
Shira and I have been in Israel twice in the last three months, in May and in July, to see our 93-year old father, and to dance at the wedding of our nephew Yeshayahu and his beloved Adi. As I shared with our congregation at the time, their wedding did not take place when originally scheduled (May 12) because Israel was in the midst of getting shelled by 5,000 bombs and missiles sent by Hamas. But the very first week-day that the cease-fire took hold, Sunday, May 23, weddings broke out throughout Israel. Pent-up wedding demand. My nephew and niece were married as were a surging number of couples whose future together could be delayed by Covid and war, but not denied. When we went back to Israel in July, we spent Shabbat with Yeshayahu and Adi, a happily married couple affirming life and hope despite it all.
Our recent two trips to Israel brought to mind the observation of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, may he rest in peace, that hope is an action plan. We take action to make things better today than they were yesterday. Israel embodies that hope.
Israel is in a very challenged neighborhood. Regional instability is bad and getting worse. But in that fierce region, in that messy democracy, and in a land that has had its share of Covid too and has led the world in the effort to maximally vaccinate its citizens, Israelis don’t just sing Hatikvah. They live it.
We do too. Every year we invest in Israel Bonds—an investment that not only strengthens our beloved eretz Yisrael , but also makes the statement that we don’t just hope, we do the work to make hope possible.
We enclose a virtual tab card from Israel Bonds, which offers various investment options and contact information should you have questions.
Thank you for loving Israel. Thank you for being the balm in Gilead—for investing in hope.
Shana tova,
Wes