Shabbat message

Shabbat Shalom, KBI Family!

This past weekend, our city was shaken by a painful and despicable act: the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa was defaced with hateful, antisemitic graffiti. It is not just an attack on a memorial, but a vile attempt to erase memory and silence Jewish voices in the very place built to honour them. This act joins a troubling rise in Jew-hate across Canada — and it hurts.

In moments like these, we turn to the wisdom of our tradition. The Psalmist cries out, קָרוֹב יְהוָה לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי לֵב; וְאֶת־דַּכְּאֵי רוּחַ יוֹשִׁיעַ (Psalm 34:19) — “God is close to the brokenhearted; and those crushed in spirit, God delivers.” Our pain is real — but so is our resilience. And we are not alone.

The Talmud teaches, Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh — “All of Israel is responsible for one another” (Shevuot 39a). The strength of the Jewish people has always been our deep, enduring connection to one another. We respond to hate not with fear, but with togetherness, compassion, and pride in our heritage.

This week, as we read Parashat B’ha’alot’cha, we find ourselves in the midst of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. It’s a journey marked by both challenges and divine presence. The parashah opens with the lighting of the Menorah, a symbol of divine light and enduring presence in the Tabernacle. Aaron is commanded, “When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the menorah” (Numbers 8:2). This act of illuminating the darkness is not just a ritual; it is a profound message for us, particularly in times of shadows. The menorah, positioned to shed light forward, represents our continuous obligation to bring light into the world, to illuminate the path ahead even when it seems dim.

Later in the parashah, we read about the trumpets (Numbers 10:1-10) — trumpets that were to be sounded for assembling the community, for setting out on journeys, and in times of war or distress. These trumpets served as a call to action, a signal to gather, and a reminder of their shared purpose and reliance on one another. For us, the defacement of the Holocaust Monument is a spiritual trumpet blast, a call to gather. It’s a call to strengthen our resolve, to stand together not just in sorrow, but in defiance and hope.

Just as the Israelites relied on the guiding cloud by day and fire by night, and on the sound of the trumpets to unite them, so too must we rely on our traditions and on each other. Our resilience is not a passive acceptance of pain, but an active commitment to our values and to our community. When one part of our community is attacked, we all feel it. And when we come together, we amplify our collective strength.

Now is the time to show up. The Ottawa Jewish community will be holding a short, interfaith gathering at the National Holocaust Monument this Sunday at 3:00pm. I hope you will join me, along with Reverend Jodi Green (Advocacy and Interfaith Relations Specialist, JFO) and our staunch allies and supporters from the Christian Church leadership of Ottawa. Please see the information about this eventbelow.

And show up this Shabbat — and in the weeks ahead. I invite you to come to KBI. Join us for t’filah, for Torah, for Kiddush. Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder, a living testament that the Jewish people are here, vibrant and strong. Let’s teach our children that in the face of darkness, we gather and shine brighter. Let our communal presence be a radiant response to the forces that seek to diminish us. Let the light of our Menorah, the light of our Torah, and the light of our united community shine forth.

May the memory of the victims of the Shoah be protected from shame. And may we be blessed with courage, healing, and peace.

L’shalom uvracha,

Cantor Jason Green