The Bottom Line - 8 August 2003
AGAINST ALL ODDS …
Tisha B’Av is the saddest day of the Jewish year – the epitome of tragedy and destruction in Jewish history. It is a day of mourning and deep introspection.
Yet, it is also a source of hope in our final redemption, for we know the promise of Hashem, as expressed in the Prophets, will come true. From the depths we reach out and regain our strength. Time and again we have survived, grown and flourished.
It is our unity and belief that allows us to do this, as well as the generous nature of the Jewish people who internalised Avraham’s attribute of chessed, loving-kindness. Charity and survival are part of who we are.
Since the destruction of our holy Temples in Jerusalem, the Jewish people have been dispersed around the globe. Our life has been one of pain and suffering interspersed with triumph and jubilation.
In the last century, our pioneering forebears took the first steps in establishing the State of Israel and encouraging the return of the entire Jewish nation to its homeland.
The Jewish Agency and its financial arm, Keren Hayesod / Israel United Appeal, have been at the forefront of this achievement.
Aliyah, absorption, rescue missions, building social infrastructures in Israel, Jewish education and saving Jewish lives are all part of our work, because we believe in the value of every Jewish life and the importance of Israel and Jerusalem in our history. We have a responsibility to our fellow Jews.
Diaspora Jewry also have their role to play. It is your contributions that allow us to do so much. As the Talmud says: “Saving a single Jewish life is like saving an entire world.”
The local community too, is known for its generosity. The United Communal Fund helps to build our society by promoting Jewish identity, supporting Jewish education and protecting communal structures, individual members and their civil and religious rights. We have strength in unity and the ability to provide for a successful Jewish future.
A dwindling local community, economic pressures and even apathy, however, all contribute to the difficulties in maintaining these vital services. As we remember the tragedies of our past, we must not allow our community to weaken.
The current threats to Israel and the rise in global anti-Semitism make our efforts all that more crucial. We will not give up. We will survive, and more than that, we will prosper.