Standing With Israel

On Shmini Atzeret, October 7th, as we were celebrating the holiday and preparing to dance with the Torah on Simchat Torah, our hearts were inalterably rent by news of the brutal massacre and kidnapping of so many Israelis. The weeks since have only deepened our pain and anger at the suffering inflicted. As Jews, we are doing all that we can to support Israel, Israelis, our relatives, friends, those we know and others who are part of our larger family, the House of Israel. At such a time, it is difficult to focus on anything else.

Jewish day schools are where we teach our future leaders to love Israel, to advocate for justice, to carry on our beautiful Jewish traditions, and to give tzedakah to causes aligned with our Jewish values. Just as we who live in the Diaspora need Israel as an endless source of meaning, attachment and spiritual sustenance, Israel needs Diaspora Jews to support her on every conceivable level. By strengthening our schools, we are ensuring that Israel will remain vibrant for generations to come.

Moreover, day schools are one of the few places where students and staff alike can be unapologetically Jewish, unapologetically Zionist. This foundation of pride and freedom is so needed to ensure that they are prepared to go out into a world where everything they’ve learned will be challenged.

Even as the war continues, students in Israel are returning to their classrooms while schools and teachers balance the education of Israeli schoolchildren with the needs of soldiers, families and society. Likewise, as our schools are holding in balance our attention to Israel and the education of our students, so too we are placing Israel here at the center, even as we release the latest edition of HaYidion, the Prizmah Journal. 

This issue embodies the values that we assert in the face of those who would deny our very existence. They showcase what we love and work for every day: reflection on contemporary matters in the light of Jewish sacred texts; creative adaptation to new ideas, methods and technologies; a drive for improvement, learning and growth, and the spark of connection between teacher and student where genuine education arises.

Am Yisrael chai.