OCTOBER 17 • 2024 | 5
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incomplete, the Jewish people are
similarly incomplete if even one Jew
is missing from the collective entity
that is the nation of Israel.
This is the reason why on the
holiday of Simchat Torah, when
we joyously celebrate the priceless
gift of becoming a nation, we take
the Torah scrolls out of the Ark,
and we distribute them among
all those assembled. Everyone in
the synagogue, regardless of their
background, is given the Torah to
dance with.
As part of our celebration of the
Torah, which embodies our faith,
our values and our ideals, we must
underscore and encourage each and
every Jew’s relationship to the whole,
that our entire nation is one with
the Torah. Ish echad b’lev echad, one
person with one heart. Every Jew
embraces, kisses and dances with the
Torah, because the Torah was given
to the entire Jewish nation, and we
are all required to be united in our
love and affection for our traditions
and for each other.
Not one of us in this room will
ever forget Oct. 7, 2023, the day of
Simchat Torah. So many “letters”
of our beautiful “Torah” have been
erased. So many precious souls
were taken from us, and so many
are missing from our special family.
Every soldier and every civilian that
was cruelly taken from us represents
a missing “letter” from the “Torah”
that is the Jewish nation, leaving an
empty space, a void in our hearts.
All that remains of them is our
hope and their memory — and it
is that hope and memory which we
have come here tonight to honor.

HEROISM ACROSS ISRAEL
In the face of this unimaginable
horror, the people of Israel did what
they have always done — they stood
tall. They refused to be broken, or
divided, or intimidated.
From the first moments of the
attack, we saw acts of extraordinary
heroism. Soldiers, first responders
and ordinary citizens alike rushed
to defend their homes, their families

and their country. Neighbors opened
their doors to strangers, providing
shelter and comfort to those in need.
Communities banded together,
turning synagogues, schools, and
community centers into sanctuaries
of support and strength.
In the wake of one of the greatest
acts of evil came gestures of the
most extraordinary humanity and
goodness. And since then, every
sector of Israeli and Jewish society
worldwide has committed itself
to the work of relief and recovery,
turning their renowned generosity,
ingenuity and determination to the
task of rebuilding for the future.
Jews and friends of Israel
everywhere have come together at
rallies and vigils, in synagogues and
public squares, raising our voices
to demand justice and to call for
the safe return of those who remain
captive in Gaza.
Collectively, Jewish communities
across North America have raised
nearly a billion dollars to aid
the people of Israel in their long
recovery. We as a people have
become more united, more educated,
more faithful and more determined.
Today, as we remember the
atrocities of Oct. 7, our hearts are
filled with sorrow but not despair.
It is clear that despair is not an
option for us. Resignation is not
a possibility. Our answer to every
setback, to even the most profound
moment of grief, is to rise up once

again, to light a candle against the
darkness and to continue to move
forward.
In the face of hate, we choose
hope. In the face of terror, we choose
life. And in the face of division, we
choose unity.

THOUSANDS STRONG
Tonight, we are here not just to mark
a date on the calendar, but to pledge
our continuing and unshakable
support to our Jewish homeland, to
support each other, to never ever
despair and to stand as one in loving
brotherhood.
One of our beloved hostages, one
of those beautiful young people
taken by force and held in captivity,
was a young lady named Sapir
Cohen. After 55 horrific days, she
was part of the hostage deal that in
late November brought about her
release. She has been speaking out
about the details of her captivity to
give us an idea of what was, as well
as the awful reality that continues for
those who are still held.
She tells of one day during her
captivity, watching Al Jazeera with
her captors and viewing Hostage
Square in Tel Aviv, with thousands
of Jews of every stripe — much like
the representation of our Jewish
community here tonight — gathered
in support of freedom for the
hostages. One of her monstrous
terrorist captors said at that moment,
brandishing his evil fists, “We know,”

he said, “that when the Jewish people
are united, they are strong, very strong
… and that is what we fear the most.”
Yes, he was right. When we act
together, as we do tonight, thousands
strong, when we meet our communal
obligations to our people locally, and
in Israel, as we have done this year,
when we express and demonstrate
our unity, we are unstoppable. Even
our most vicious enemies recognize
the power of that truth.

RESILIENCE AND RESOLVE
And so, as a new year dawns, we
stand here tonight united more than
ever for the future.
We, as a community, will never
allow ourselves to be part of
the problem. Regardless of our
denominational differences or our
political differences, or our opinions
on any subject, we will and must
continue to act as we have done, with
our eye fully trained on maintaining
a viable Jewish presence, to support
Jewish activities, Jewish education,
and Jewish needs here and in Israel.
In the dark shadow of Oct. 7, we
are reminded that renewal is not
only about joy and celebration, but it
is also about resilience and resolve.
Let us, together, use these sacred
times to renew our commitment to
each other, to stand against hate, to
recommit ourselves to being faithful
and kind, and to build bridges of
understanding and love.
May the memory of those
tragically lost on Oct. 7 and in the
ensuing months, be a blessing, and
may their legacy inspire us to be
better, to do better, and to never
lose faith in the power of our unity,
or the power of Heaven. And may
we, as one people, continue to go
from strength to strength, building
a future that honors our past and
fulfills the promise of a better
tomorrow.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah. May our
beloved Jewish community and
each and every one of you and your
wonderful families, be inscribed and
sealed for good in the year to come.
Am Yisrael Chai!

“LET US, TOGETHER, USE THESE
SACRED TIMES TO RENEW OUR
COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER, TO
STAND AGAINST HATE, TO RECOMMIT
OURSELVES TO BEING FAITHFUL AND
KIND, AND TO BUILD BRIDGES OF

UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE.”

— GARY TORGOW