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I

am profoundly sad and deeply angry 
this morning as I continue to process 
the murder of six more Israeli hos-
tages by Hamas. The hostages recently 
found are Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, 
Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, 
Alex Lubnov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and 
Almog Sarusi, 27.
Every soul that Hamas tried to extin-
guish deserves its own 
letter; each person mur-
dered or killed deserves 
his or her own memorial. 
Among the six murdered 
hostages just found, how-
ever, was Hersh Goldberg-
Polin: an American, a 
product of Camp Ramah, 
and a family member to 
some in our own community. Since Oct. 
7, Hersh’s parents heroically brought 
the plight of the hostages to the world. 
I cannot begin to imagine the depth of 
their suffering and the suffering of every 
hostage’s family; I cannot imagine the 
suffering among the families of every 
person injured or murdered by Hamas. 
May God comfort each and every one of 
those families.
In our sadness, and in keeping with 
our Jewish tradition that tells us to act 
in the face of suffering, Rebecca and I 
will be donating to six organizations in 
memory of each of the six Israelis found:

1. Jewish Federation of Detroit 
2. Camp Ramah Canada
3. Tamarack Camps
4. Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
 Religious School (Education Fund)
5. Hillel Day School
6. Frankel Jewish Academy
The donation to Federation will 
directly help Israelis in Israel. The camps 
and schools to which I donate wel-
come Israeli children, are committed to 
Zionism, and seek to build relationships 
between Israeli and North American 
children. All six recipients of my teda-
kah are devoted to educating, caring 
for, and inspiring Jews to love Judaism 
and to live proud Jewish lives. Whether 
it is one of these organizations, all six 
of these, or a different organization, I 
encourage you to donate somewhere 
that inspires a love for Judaism and the 
living of proud Jewish lives.
This is what we all must do in 
response to our sadness and our anger: 
We must love Judaism, and we must live 
proud Jewish lives.
And yes, I am still angry. And while 
I might disagree with decisions made 
by Israeli leadership or American lead-
ership, they and their supporters are 
not the primary targets of my anger. 
Let us not forget that the evildoers and 
perpetrators of this massacre against the 
Jewish people and against Western val-

ues is the Iran-sponsored terrorist orga-
nization Hamas. Let us not forget too 
that Hezbollah and other terrorist orga-
nizations continue to attack Israel daily; 
they too are the recipients of my ire. 
Additionally, part of Iran’s/Hamas’ 
campaign of terror is to try to turn good 
people against each other. That is what 
they are doing on college campuses and, 
frankly, they are succeeding by manip-
ulating the compassion of good people. 
Hamas will continue to succeed if our 
anger is turned against our fellow Jews 
or if Israelis turn against each other. 
Anger against each other cannot be our 
primary response to the injustices com-
mitted against our people.
So, in memory of all our brothers 
and sisters murdered or killed since 
Oct. 7, my response is to refuse to give 

up hope. My response is to continue to 
seek peace. My response is to continue 
to support Israel and to strengthen the 
Jewish people. My response is to love 
my Judaism and to continue to live a 
Jewish life.
And I am grateful that you join me in 
these efforts. 
May God be with all those who suf-
fer. May God bless Israel and America. 
May the One who makes peace in the 
Heavens above, grant true and lasting 
peace to all of us on earth. 

Rabbi Starr is a spiritual leader at Congregation 

Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. This is a letter he 

shared with Congregation Shaarey Zedek on 

Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.

This is a letter he shared with Congregation Shaarey 

Zedek on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.

letter to the community
Dear Friends…

PURELY COMMENTARY

Rabbi Aaron 
Starr

Shira Ben-Sasson, a founder of the Hakhel synagogue in Jerusalem, lights a candle in 
memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Sept. 1, 2024. 

DEBORAH DANAN VIAJTA

