משיב הרוח

March 24, 2024

Purim in Israel this year is a little different. Television advertisements are urging citizens to refrain from using firecrackers this year (an annual tradition) because the sound of them exploding is a trigger for thousands of soldiers and civilians suffering from PTSD post-October 7th. Echoing this sentiment, one of Israel’s leading Sephardi Rabbis, Rabbi David Yosef, advised that while people must and should celebrate, they should be mindful to avoid public displays of festivity that could seem insensitive to the widespread pain and anguish of our nation, still in the throes of war and mourning the loss of our sons and daughters daily.

As we set out to celebrate Purim here in Montreal, a celebration of life in the face of almost guaranteed extinction, there are a couple of lessons from Megillat Esther that seem all the more relevant today.

Mordechai, in convincing Esther to go speak to Achashverosh, emphatically pleads: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Today, as we are seeing unprecedented levels of antisemitism in the last 75 years, it’s crucial for us to remember that we all have the obligation to speak up and not remain silent. History has repeatedly shown that the Jewish people will overcome their adversaries. Now, more than ever, the core message of Purim holds significant relevance. Purim is the only global commemoration of a Diaspora Jewish community facing an existential threat, where G-d’s role is hidden while the community leaders step up to save the day.

This year, let’s make Purim more than “they tried to kill us, we won … let’s eat.” We must use this day to continue building our resilience as a strong Jewish community. When we take individual responsibility to stand strong and unified and step up and lead courageously like Esther, we can blot out the memory of “he who shall not be named without noise” and build a community that is a force for good in the world.

What is apparent is that, more than ever, Jewish unity is critical to our salvation. Before approaching Achashverosh, Esther asks Mordechai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Shushan, and fast for me.” Esther recognizes that she alone will not convince the King to spare the Jewish people, but G-d must hear the voice of a united Jewish people for her to carry that message successfully.

This is what one sees in Israel today. The people of Israel—the citizens—must be united and resolute. While the media, bureaucrats, and politicians may have different postures, two things become abundantly clear when speaking to the average Israeli. The first is that they are united in focus, and the second is that while on October 7th, the “system” failed Israel, her citizens did not! Non-obvious acts of pure heroism and bravery saved the country and continue to do so every day. Israeli society didn’t fail. It reacted, and the power of Am Israel united is why we will win. יחד ננצח

It's hard to believe that in 2024, we are living through Israel’s longest war since the War of Independence and perhaps the most complicated war. It is a war that has spread to the streets of diaspora communities, as we have seen here in Montreal, through a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel aggression that has shocked the Jewish world to the core.

The official name of this war, coined shortly after the October 7th massacre, is “Iron Sword.” This week, while in Israel with the leadership of Federation CJA and the Jewish Community Foundation, learning and visiting those impacted by the war and by the support of our incredible community, my good friend Tzvi Sperber suggested what I thought would be a more appropriate name for this war. משיב הרוח, which is said during the Amida service between Shemini Atzeret and Passover, can be interpreted as having two meanings. The first literal translation is to bring wind (and rain) for the winter months. But in a different context, משיב הרוח also means to bring back the “spirit” or return the “spirit.”

Perhaps this horrific war we didn’t ask for but must win will reignite our Jewish spirit—a united Jewish spirit which allowed Esther to convince Achashverosh to save the Jewish people from Haman. A Jewish spirit that has awakened in our children, students, and young adults, in a generation of Israelis that is proving to be more resilient than ever, and a Jewish people who are standing bravely today in the face of war, unprecedented antisemitism and hate; resolute and resolved to show the world that a Jewish people united, cannot be defeated.

Last Thursday evening, as I stood at the Kotel with thousands of Jews from around the world, including our Montreal delegation, I was overwhelmed with emotion while participating in the Global Shema for the Hostages and prayers for our soldiers. Jews from all walks of life gathered at the Kotel, filling the courtyard as far as the eye could see. The prayers and tears of a nation united worldwide, representing the next chapter of Jewish history.

Chag Purim Samech and Am Israel Chai

Yair Szlak, LL.B

President and Chief Executive Officer,

Federation CJA