Rabbi's Blog: State of Affairs - June/July 2025

When I began rabbinical school twenty years ago, the concerns most synagogues faced were about how to stay relevant, how to connect meaningfully with busy families, and how to make Jewish life feel compelling. Antisemitism felt like something mostly found in history books-not commonly experienced by American Jews. 

How things have changed. It is front and center. Just a short time ago, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., at an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee.   Tragically and ironically, the event was to talk through ways to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, amongst other places.  And Sarah in particular had been involved in building bridges of understanding between Israeli Jews and Palestinians.  Her murderer, though, was chanting, “Free, free Palestine.”  Who will do more Palestinians, someone like Sarah, or someone like her assailant, or Hamas?  Palestinians are worse off, not better off, without her and people like her.

Meanwhile, more than 600 days have passed since Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas. Their absence is still hugely felt, around the world and especially inside Israel.  And many Israelis, regularly called up for reserve duty, feel exhausted and frustrated. Prime Minister Netanyahu is deeply unpopular, with nearly 70% of Israelis now saying he should resign. The political and emotional strain on the people of Israel is palpable.

Here in the United States, we face an evolving form of antisemitism—sometimes loud and explicit, sometimes masked by political rhetoric or misinformation. It shows up on college campuses, in protests, and online. In the chants of Globalize the Intifada, and in the graffiti on synagogues and seminaries, like Hebrew Union College, my alma mater, which was defaced about a week ago.  I find myself not only trying to inspire people to come to synagogue but also having to reassure them that it’s safe to do so.

And it is safe. It’s safer to be in synagogue than it is to drive to synagogue. We are vigilant-we’re grateful to the Roswell Police Department and its officers, who are consistently in our building during service.  But we cannot live in fear. 

Judaism is not only about surviving hard times—it’s about finding joy, meaning, and connection.  The joy of Shabbat surrounded by friends and family. The joy of celebrating holidays in community. The joy of teaching our children the values and stories that children have been learning for thousands of years.  The deep, satisfying pride in being part of a small but resilient and beautiful people.

We are not defined by what we endure but by how we live.

Yes, these are hard times, but we can do better than getting through them together.  We can still enjoy all the beauty of being Jewish, whether that’s having a Shabbat dinner at home, participating in an adult education program at Temple, or coming along to a Sisterhood or Brotherhood event.  

So let’s keep showing up—not in spite of the challenges we face, but because our tradition gives us the strength to face them. Let’s make space for both our pain and our pride, our fears and our faith. Because what we build together is a Jewish life not only worth protecting, but deeply worth living.