NOVEMBER 16 • 2023 | 23
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Emotional Vigil
Her friend Karen
Schelberg added, “I wanted
to be in communication and
connection with others. This
is something to bring every-
one together.”
Gary Torgow, president of
Detroit’s Jewish Federation,
focused on the importance
of Jewish unity during a time of trau-
ma. “We are here tonight, gathered as a
united Jewish community, to acknowl-
edge a moment of profound difficulty,
sadness and pain for the people of Israel.
We keep uppermost in our minds the
missing children and grandparents,
mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers,
husbands and wives, our dearest family.
We remind ourselves of their light, their
spirit and their humanity.”
Torgow turned to Jewish history and
rabbinic tradition: “What the rabbis are
sharing with us is that in order to be
victorious as a people, as a community,
we must stand united, we must stand in
brotherhood. We must stand in love and
unity with each other ... We stand here
tonight in sisterhood and brotherhood,
recognizing our extraordinary strength
as a people and as a collective Jewish
community.
“Within days of the attack on Oct. 7,
our community bravely announced the
goal of raising $5 million for our Israel
Emergency Campaign, but, as of today,
because of the remarkably united and
beautiful family that we are, we have
raised here in Detroit $28 million to sup-
port our brothers and sisters in Israel,”
he added.
Torgow introduced Shimon Levy, a
Detroiter and Israeli who held leadership
roles in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)
for almost a decade. Levy pointed out
Hundreds of community members
packed into Adat Shalom
Synagogue for the vigil.
Cantors sang ‘Hatikvah.’
Shimon Levy
urged people not
to remain silent,
but to stand up for
Israel.
A young community member at
the vigil wrapped in an Israeli
flag, holds the message every-
one was praying for.
continued on page 24
Gary
Torgow