Seeking hope while surrounded by hate during the Jewish New Year
A man blows a shofar, a ram’s horn, marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, overlooking the port of Haifa, Israel, Friday. Credit: AP/Maya Alleruzzo
A disturbing contrast of events will occur Monday, marking a year since Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hundreds of others hostage.
Jews across the region will hold memorials, reflections, services, exhibits and other gatherings. They'll say Kaddish — the memorial prayer — for the murdered, pray for those still captured, and reaffirm their love for Israel. Their commemorations will come amid the Days of Awe — the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's during this time that Jews seek and provide forgiveness while hoping for a better year ahead.
Meanwhile, the national group Students for Justice in Palestine, which once called the horrors of Oct. 7 a "historic win," will kick off a "Week of Rage" targeting Israel and those who support Israel, which the group calls "the Zionist entity."
"During these 11 months, we, the students, have confronted the Zionist and imperialist forces in our OWN universities — fighting to end the financial, academic, and ideological ties that our institutions have to this ongoing genocide and colonial project," SJP posted online.
It's the language of war, a war at home that's still escalating as tensions abroad are, too.
It's unclear what the "Week of Rage" will mean in practice, but the language is threatening. The University of Maryland tried to stop a pro-Palestinian rally planned for Oct. 7, expressing concern for campus safety, but a federal judge ruled it should go forward. Now, Jewish students there and on other college campuses are rightly frightened.
Even more alarming is a separate post shared recently by several pro-Palestinian college groups, including Adelphi University's SJP chapter.
"'death to israel' is not just a threat," the post said. "It is a moral imperative and the only acceptable solution. may the entire colony burn to the ground for good."
It's hard to type such vengeful, hateful words. How can any Jew feel safe amid calls from those around them for them to "burn to the ground"? Even legitimate concerns about innocent civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza and Lebanon do not justify such thinking.
Egregious antisemitism, memories of Oct. 7, and worries for the remaining hostages hovered thickly over Rosh Hashanah celebrations this year. After all the trauma of the last 12 months, and ongoing tensions with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, it was particularly difficult to sing and pray for life, health and a happy new year. But Jews did just that, even when surrounded by an extensive police presence and even with flyers in every pew reminding congregants how to handle active shooters.
This fraught moment was reflected in the chocolate bars my synagogue traditionally hands out after services as a symbol of sweetness and joy; each was individually wrapped with a message of the moment: "Wishing You a Sweet New Year and Praying for the Return of All Our Hostages."
The new year cannot be truly sweet when more than 100 hostages are still captive, when there seems to be no path to bring them home, when the fighting escalates, and particularly when Americans are ramping up hateful rhetoric and planning for "rage."
There is a way forward to the sweetness of a new year. Right now, it's hard to see.
Columnist Randi F. Marshall's opinions are her own.
Randi Marshall is a member of the Newsday editorial board.