Community Magazine June 2021

78 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE co mm unity HIGHL IGHTS Coping as a Family Last month, Am Yisrael experienced a terrible tragedy, when 45 of our brothers in Israel were killed during a Lag Ba’Omer celebration in Meron. Magen David Yeshiva faculty and students, led by Rabbi Joey Haber, went to the homes of the bereaved who live locally and learned about the person behind the name, through stories from family members. The rest of the school watched a slideshow with pictures of the victims and then each class learned l’eiluy nishmat of a specific person. Each class chose one misvah to take on from now until the end of the year, such as netilat yadayim , birkat hamazon , minyan on Sundays, and refraining from lashon hara for an hour a day. The students then recited two chapters of Tehilim in unison in memory of those who died, and for the  refuah shelemah of those injured.  Rabbi Joey Haber and MDY HS students paying a visit to one of the family’s homes. Sephardic Rabbis Stand in Solidarity with Israel As Israeli civilians are once again under rocket attacks from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups, Sephardic rabbis representing communities all over the world stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel and issued the following statement. We support Israel’s right to defend her cities and civilians, and to assert her sovereignty over Jerusalem, the historic and eternal capital of Israel. We offer our love and prayers to the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Police, Israel’s Home Front Command, and Medical First Response units. May Gd strengthen and protect them as they protect Israel. We condemn the violent ways of all terror groups attacking Israel, whose hypocrisy recalls the Biblical verse:  “I am all peace, but when I speak, they are for war ” (Tehilm 120:7). In the words of the Sephardic sage Rabbi Bension Meir Hai Uziel, “We desire peace, but we will not go as sheep to the slaughter, rather we will defend ourselves with strength and courage in our historic homeland.” Rabbi Elie Abadie, Senior Rabbi, Jewish Council of the Emirates (United Arab Emirates) Rabbi Ilan Acoca, Sephardic Congregation of Fort Lee (New Jersey) Rabbi Marc Angel, Institute of Jewish Ideas and Ideals (New York) Rabbi Haim Amsalem, Am Shalem/Zera Yisrael Foundation (Jerusalem, Israel) Rabbi Yaakob Levy Aserraf, Communidad Israelita de Cueta (Spain) Rabbi Eitan Bendavid, Kehillat Shivtei Yisrael (Ra’anana, Israel) Rabbi Moshe Benzaquen, West Coast Torah Center (Los Angeles) Rabbi Albert Gabbai, Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia) Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle, Washington) Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Sephardic Educational Center (Los Angeles/Jerusalem) Rabbi Nissim Elnecavé, Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America (New York) Rabbi Daniel Kahana, (Brooklyn, New York) Rabbi Baruj Garzon, Kehillat Yagdil Torah (Ra’anana, Israel) Rabbi Yonatan Halevy, Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim (San Diego) Rabbi Yaacov Betzalel Harrar, Kehillat Shuva (Ra’anana Rabbi Ben Hassan, Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation (Seattle, Washington) Rabbi Raif Melhado, Americans4Israel (Los Angeles) Rabbi Dr. Abraham Levy, Spanish & Portuguese Community (London) Rabbi Mordejai Maarabi, Kehillat Torah ve’Jaim (Ra’anana, Israel) Rabbi Mimon Mamane, Congregation Magen David of Manhattan (New York) Rabbi Moshe Nahon, Kahal Kadosh Abudarham Synagogue (Gibraltar) Rabbi Abraham Tobal, Monte Sinai Community (Mexico City) Rabbi Devin Maimon Villareal, Kehillat Sha’ar Tsafon (Pocatello, Idaho) Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun, Skylake Synagogue (Miami)