Last Friday night at Central Synagogue in New York, a hate-filled lunatic, as the press called him, interrupted Shabbat services with vile outbursts and flailing arms. While the perpetrator was removed from the sanctuary, Central Synagogue clergy, all of whom were just ordained or ordained in recent years, directed their focus and purpose towards the congregation. They calmed themselves, tended to others, and reclaimed Shabbat for everyone. It was a masterstroke of professionalism and wisdom.

New York City is a hub of everything the world knows and has known. In Frank Sinatra’s hit song released in 1977, “New York, New York,” he made famous the idea that if you can make it here, then you can make it anywhere. It became emblematic of the city’s role in the world. When Mayor Mamdani was inaugurated, he captured the attention of the world, too, despite his limited political role. Like many New York leaders, his words cast a wide net and have ignited and inspired both good and evil. The incident last Friday night brought renewed attention to the ways hateful rhetoric and leadership can affect communities. This act of racism and anti-Jewish hate did not occur in a vacuum. It stands in stark contrast to the ideals that have long defined the great city of New York and the national norms that once made our nation great.

In this horrific time, one eye should be on our enemies and one eye should be on our allies, where they serve with strength and courage for all. They are all around us in some political offices, in classrooms and businesses, in houses of worship, and especially in synagogues. For Jews and Judaism, the heart of the Jewish world is the Jewish home, but it begins and continues in the synagogue. In addition to joyful celebrations, rabbis, cantors, and Jewish professionals are well-prepared to guide us from grief to gratitude, and from hate to love. Our clergy, k’lei kodesh, sacred vessels, accomplish the sacred work for which they were trained and called because they draw from Torah teachings and lessons that are both ancient and modern. Always relevant, Torah has outlasted and endured every trial in every age. As Torah, itself, teaches us, “Torah is our life and the length of our days” (Deuteronomy 30:20), and from Mishnah, “The more Torah, the more life” (Pirkei Avot 2:7).

Though Central Synagogue’s clergy were shaken, they were also emboldened by the summons to serve the Jewish people. When Moses conferred his authority on Joshua, he didn’t say, “Good luck, kid!” or “If you can make it in the Land of Canaan, you can make it anywhere.” Moses said, “Chazak ve’ematz!” Be strong and resolute. And so shall we be. As the Jewish New Year draws closer, showing up will mean so much to our community and our people, and to every rabbi and cantor. Don’t leave us alone, don’t leave us out; we’ll be here for you, your families, and our people, now and always. Congregation Beth Israel is a model of security and safety while we are mindful of filling spiritual, educational, and communal needs. As Joshua said to the Israelite people, “Let us surely go up!” (Numbers 13:30). Indeed, let us surely thrive in our synagogues with prayers for a sweet New Year and a time when all people “shall sit under [their] grapev ine or fig tree with no one to disturb [them]” (Micah 4:4).

L’Shalom,