WE REMEMBER - NOTE FROM RABBI MICHAEL SIEGEL AND THE RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY

 

We Remember October 7th

Today marks the first anniversary of October 7th.  A day on which 1200 Israelis were brutally slaughtered, and 251 hostages were taken.  It is hard to fathom the pure evil that was unleashed on that day.  Today marks the first Yahrzeit for those who were murdered that horrible day.  Let us light a candle tonight and join our Chicagoland October 7th Commemoration as we remember them.    The infant nursing in its mother’s arms We Remember   The one sacrificed on the bed We Remember   The families wrapped in each other’s arms in a final embrace at home, who were killed and set afire We Remember   The life partners who sat and cried a final tear in the safety shelters We Remember   The parents killed hiding their children beneath their own bodies We Remember   Those who were out for day trips and were murdered on the road We Remember   The children and young innocents who were slaughtered before their time We Remember   The parents murdered in front of their loved ones We Remember   The innocents dancing their final dance We Remember   The peace-loving youngsters who were viciously captured, raped, and killed We Remember   The cyclists on a never-ending trip We Remember    The vacationers in their tents, in the desert, or on the beach We Remember   The foreign workers who remained alongside their elders We Remember   The agricultural workers from around the world We Remember   The musicians whose music went silent We Remember   The elders and founders We Remember   The artists whose works remain forever incomplete We Remember   The passers-by who encountered evil We Remember   The philosophers whose last page will never be written We Remember   The security forces; and the Police; and the town security teams, and the military observers; and the IDF Who fought a few against many Who stood and delivered Who saved lives And who fought till the bitter end, ensuring more innocents survived We Remember         (With thanks to the Rabbinical Assembly for providing this reading)   May the souls of those who were murdered that day be bound up in the bond of eternal life. Amen.