18 | OCTOBER 3 • 2024 

OUR COMMUNITY

“There is no going back to my 
previous life. Oct. 7 has cemented 
in my mind that nothing is more 
important to me than speaking 
out loud to educate my American 
friends. If there is any silver lining, 
it is that American Jews are finally 
aware of the dangers we face. 
“Many here live in a bubble where 
they have never heard the words 
intifada or caliphate. While some 
have woken up, others still choose to 
hide their heads in the sand.
“I no longer leave my window 
blinds open at home when I light 
Shabbat candles. I am afraid that 
there is a mezuzah on my door. My 
Israeli children have lost dozens of 
friends in the last year. But still, they 
think it is more dangerous to be 
Jewish in America than Israel. 
“Overall, I have been depressed. 
I have lost all will to pursue the 
dreams I set for myself when I 
moved back to Michigan from 
Israel. I long for the days of not 
living in fear. When I was growing 
up, and even as recently as Oct. 
1, 2023, there were times when 
Jews could go to Dearborn, go into 
an Arab restaurant and they w 
ould put on Israeli music for us and 
we could all eat, drink and enjoy life 
together. I fear those days are gone.” 
— Erit Gill, Farmington Hills

“My life has changed 
both personally and 
professionally since Oct. 
7. My family in Israel is 
hurting and I feel their 
pain. When your family 
is in mourning, or in a 
dark place, their sadness 
transfers to you. I’ve felt like I’ve 
been carrying around their sorrow, 
frustration and anger all year. 
“I decided to go to Israel in 
December to hug them and to 
volunteer. Honestly, it did more for 
me than it probably did for them. 
I needed to see them and check on 
them and, in some cases, to pay a 

shivah visit. 
“Professionally, my work at the 
Shalom Hartman Institute has 
been a place to channel my energy 
to make me feel like I’m doing 
something to help the community 
locally and beyond. As Jewish 
educators and professionals, many 
things we thought we knew before 
Oct. 7 became no longer true. Israel 
was safe. Liberal institutions were 
safe spaces for identity expression. 
We perceived that Jews are 
integrated into American society, 
and our allies would always be there 
for us. All of these assumptions were 
incorrect.
“It is now incumbent on all Jewish 
professionals and lay leaders to help 
the community absorb and process 
what we thought we knew and to 
build a path forward. My time in 
Israel this summer at the Hartman 
Institute allowed for some of that 
work to begin, but the task is a long-
term project. Mostly, I’m sad that my 
children will now carry the tragedies 
of Oct. 7 with them as they grow. 
Their obligations as Jewish leaders 
are heavy and their responsibilities 
great. I hope we have prepared 
them.” — Rebecca Starr, vice 
president of Educational Operations 
and Regional Strategy for the Shalom 
Hartman Institute of North America
 
“We have been so 
slammed busy and 
thank G-d for that. 
There have been so 
many students who have 
come to us at the center 
or wanted to meet with 
us out on campus ever 
since Oct. 7. It keeps us busy 24/7. 
We see the growth and the soul-
searching of even the most secular 
Jewish students. They want to be 
more involved with Jewish life, with 
doing mitzvot, with being more 
Shabbat observant. For years, we 
had tefillin at the Jewish Resource 
Center that were hardly used. 

After Oct. 7, we had students come 
begging for them, and we gave them 
out and needed more. The students 
are shaken up, but they want to 
get more involved.” — Rabbi Fully 
Eisenberger, the Jewish Resource 
Center at the University of Michigan 

“I feel even more 
connected to the land 
and people of Israel. I 
now read Israeli news 
every day. I check in 
with my Israeli friends 
more often. And I offer 
sermons about Israel 
much more than I used 
to. I have been to Israel on one 
solidarity mission with a group of 
rabbis and hope to return again.” — 
Rabbi Shalom Kantor, Congregation 
B’nai Moshe 

“Oct. 7 and the 
ensuing conflict have 
deeply affected me, both 
as a Jewish communal 
professional and as a 
proud Jewish Detroiter. 
It’s not the first time I’ve 
witnessed the strength 
and solidarity that emerge in times 
of crisis, but I am profoundly 
inspired by the incredible unity 
and generosity our community has 
shown over the past year.
“Having spent time in Israel over 
the past year on two Solidarity 
Missions, bearing witness to 
the atrocities and meeting with 
many of the victims’ families, this 
experience has brought forth a 
wave of emotions — grief for the 
tragic losses, concern for the future, 
but, above all, a tremendous desire 
to do everything I can to support 
the people of Israel. Despite the 
challenges, I know that we are a 
resilient people, and together we will 
navigate these very difficult times 
and emerge stronger.” — Steven 
Ingber, CEO of Jewish Federation of 
Detroit 

Rabbi Fully 
Eisenberger

Rabbi 
Shalom 
Kantor

Rebecca 
Starr

continued from page 17

Steven 
Ingber

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