For those who just celebrated Canada Day, I hope that you had a wonderful holiday. For those on the cusp of celebrating Independence Day, a happy 4th to you all.
Our communal celebration is tempered at this season because of several tragedies.
Yesterday, Rabbi Shlomo Noginski, of the Shaloh House Jewish Day School in Brighton, was stabbed repeatedly in a park across from the school. Thankfully, he is in stable condition and expected to recover. The suspect is in custody, yet the motive remains unknown and an investigation is ongoing, while the ADL calls for a hate crime inquiry. We pray for his healing as we condemn this terrible act of violence.
In addition, last week, a Florida condo building collapsed, which included the devastating and unnecessary loss of life, among them many of our Jewish sisters and brothers, all due to human neglect or worse.
In Canada, its national day of celebration was severely tempered after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools, especially those of children, forcing the nation to come to terms with the atrocities and abuses against Indigenous Peoples.
Receiving an honourary degree at my ordination ceremony, Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi z”l said then: “There is nowhere in the world that the Shekhinah (G-d’s presence on earth) can find a resting place because the world is so broken.” At night, he would try to feel her presence and pray for Her to abide.
On these national holy days, there are no contradictions: we feel pride and gratitude for those who served as we honour all that our forebearers made possible for us to live here, we temper our joy as we grapple with the injustices, systems of oppression, and complacency of past and present, and we BBQ and watch the fireworks, as we celebrate and love the beauty and bounty of these lands and people.
We pray for the Shekhinah’s presence to be upon us and all of our nations’ citizens, and the whole world.
Tihiyu bri’im, be well. Shabbat Shalom, and a happy 1st and 4th!
Rabbi David
PS Please make sure to register soon if you plan to join the discussion of Yossi Klein Halevi’s “Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor”, a truly thought provoking book worth our community’s discussion.
