“What I needed to do was get out of my house and be with my community,” said Isabel Hochman, 23, who attended the Saturday morning Sabbath service at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan. (At U.S. Synagogues, Calls for Peace and Too Many Emotions to Process, The New York Times, October 14, 2023) Isabel’s sentiment was felt throughout our CRS community and in synagogues everywhere that Shabbat morning. The week before on Shabbat Simchat Torah morning, tragedy turned into reality with Hamas’s ruthless assault on Israel. Even as our hearts were breaking, in community our collective resolve gained strength.
