After this very consequential week, we wanted to drop you a brief note to make sure you saw the statement [https://www.jewishfederations.org/fedworld/jewish-federations-anti-israel-protests-violation-of-civil-rights-465062] that the Jewish Federations of North America released yesterday regarding the campus unrest that swept the country over the last few days. Please feel free to use this statement in any way that is helpful to you, your Federation, or any other organization in which you are involved.
We should also not go into Shabbat and the final days of Passover without expressing our gratitude once again to President Biden and the bipartisan leadership of the United States Congress for the passage of the $17B emergency military aid package to Israel and the $400M supplemental appropriation to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. We are grateful for all the advocacy that you provided that helped bring these legislative priorities to fruition.
Among the important responses to the blatantly antisemitic protests that have been staged on campuses and elsewhere is to seek passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act [https://jewishinsider.com/2024/04/ihra-antisemitism-legislation-capitol-hill-mike-lawler/].
This bill, which has been championed by our Federation system, has been introduced with strong bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. The bill would set into law the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism for the purposes of all the programs and regulatory functions of the US Department of Education. This action would provide our universities and primary and secondary schools with clear standards that they can use to enforce appropriate campus behavior and protect the civil rights of Jewish students.
We are hopeful that there will be progress soon on this legislation. Please watch your inboxes for alerts and requests for action.
We also want to call your attention to an important new film being released today by our friend Sheryl Sandberg called Screams Before Silence, documenting the horrific sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7th. It is incredibly important that the world learn of these atrocities and that the victims not be forgotten. The film can be seen on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAr9oGSXgak] and here is a social toolkit [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kCo0Yzl7R5BHv4qZTBfIblKevV5kAraL]with the trailer and suggested language to boost the visibility of the film.
Finally, even as we sat at our Seder tables, our dear friends Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin were confronted with the Hamas propaganda featuring their beloved son Hersh. We deplore the continued exploitation and torture of the hostages by Hamas, but we all share in the relief that Hersh is alive and pray that he and all the other hostages will be returned immediately to the loving embrace of their families. May this Shabbat and the holy days to come bring their redemption.
At our Seders, we read the story of our freedom even though we know that not all our brothers and sisters are free. On the Shabbat of Pesach we have the tradition of reading the Song of Songs, a story of blossoming love and springtime, in our synagogues:
כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֥ה הַסְּתָ֖ו עָבָ֑ר הַגֶּ֕שֶׁם חָלַ֖ף הָלַ֥ךְ לֽוֹ׃
For now the winter is past,
The rains are over and gone.
הַנִּצָּנִים֙ נִרְא֣וּ בָאָ֔רֶץ עֵ֥ת הַזָּמִ֖יר הִגִּ֑יעַ וְק֥וֹל הַתּ֖וֹר נִשְׁמַ֥ע בְּאַרְצֵֽנוּ׃
The blossoms have appeared in the land,
The time of pruning has come;
The song of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
Song of Songs 2:11-12
It is hard to read these verses when our world feels so dangerous and dark. But, just as we did at our Seders, let us read it as an inspiration to continue our efforts to bring this long winter of our people to an end, as we pray that the song of the turtle dove will soon be heard again.