Our Way Forward

The news of yesterday’s brutal shock attack in Israel stunned just about everyone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to tell his citizens that they were at war. Not in an operation, but at war!

As it is with war, there are deaths and there is chaos. There are threats and there is untold fear. World leaders expressed support for Israel on Saturday, while others called for calm. It felt like time stood still as it also moved at a surreal pace.

I sat down yesterday morning to read up on the news and pray. I know many don’t think prayers help—be it in this situation or in others—but for me, they do. As I sat in my kitchen reading stories about what was unfolding, I thought about those who never even got to wake up yesterday morning. I thought of families like yours and mine whose lives have been forever shattered. I thought of all my Jewish friends here in our country for whom this news hits home in a way that is deeply personal, deeply threatening, and deeply terrifying.

What a week, and what a moment in time, we are living in right now. The events here in America this past week were also deeply troubling. I know they are not the same as what happened in Israel, but they struck at the heart of our democracy nonetheless. As my mind raced on Saturday morning, I found myself thinking back to Tuesday. I had been out all day working and when I got home that evening, I wanted to see what I had missed, so I turned on the news.