Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Memorial Day
04/20/2023 03:07:43 PM
Rabbi Hearshen
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אלי, אלי
שלא יגמר לעולם
החול והים,
רשרוש של המים,
ברק השמיים,
תפילת האדם.
החול והים,
רשרוש של המים,
ברק השמיים,
תפילת האדם.
Oh Lord, My God,
I pray that these things never end:
The sand and the sea
The rush of the waters
The crash of the heavens
The prayer of man
The sand and the sea
The rush of the waters
The crash of the heavens
The prayer of man.
These words are synonymous with the observance of Yom HaShoah in Israel and around the world. They were penned by Hannah Szenes, a secular Zionist living in Israel during WWII. She had moved to the Holy Land from her native Hungary and wished to help build up the future Jewish State. While this poem wasn’t necessarily about the Holocaust, it nevertheless became linked when Szenes enlisted in the British military and parachuted behind enemy lines in Hungary to help save Jews. On that mission, she was captured and tortured but refused to divulge any information to the Nazis and thus she was murdered. After the war a musician put the words to music and thus the anthem of Holocaust remembrance was born.
This week we observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. We also marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the longest and, in terms of German casualties, the most effective act of resistance. During the Holocaust, resistance was not something that was easy. The slow and deliberate methods of the Germans caused a false sense of hope, and at the same time, a real physical barrier to the Jews of Europe. Over the years a false narrative has arisen that the Jews “went like sheep to their slaughter.” This could not be further from the truth. Jews fought back in the ghettos, in the villages, in the forests and in the camps. Jews managed to blow up crematoria and gas chambers and they managed to sabotage other means of murder. They managed to hide and smuggle resources. These are only a few examples of the resistance the Jews managed to put together.
We often overlook another element of the resistance and that’s the spiritual and emotional resistance. Jews fought back by an unwillingness to change and be used as tools by the Nazis. They continued to celebrate their Judaism and live observant lives. They continued to have lifecycle events and they continued to pray. They were forced to make things for the Nazis, and when doing so, they often manipulated the items to be defective. These subtle acts of resistance meant a lot more than we give credit for. The Nazis were able to murder our people but they couldn’t destroy our spirits and our legacy.
Hanna Szenes’ words are meant to evoke within us a longing for eternity in which people remain people and our world looks better than the one in which we live. They speak to the eternal optimism the Jewish people have gifted to humankind. Her words speak about the need for prayer even in the darkest of days. We need to heed the words and find it within ourselves to offer our sincere and meaningful prayers of our hearts. Our world is definitely broken and we need to help heal it. Our world is dark and we need to bring light into it. Our world needs to be brought back through the work of good people who believe in something outside of themselves and that is a true prayer of humankind.
Sat, July 27 2024
21 Tammuz 5784
Worship Services
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Thursday ,
AugAugust 8 , 2024
Thursday, Aug 8th 6:00p to 8:00p
Unleash your inner artist, get to know other young adults, and make a masterpiece to take home. After splatter painting, there will be an optional After Party at Battle & Brew next door. For young adults up to age 40. Standard Price $36. Optional After Party not included. -
Sunday ,
AugAugust 11 , 2024
Sunday, Aug 11th 6:30p to 8:30p
Join us for a Cuban dinner hosted by Clare and Robert Habif. All proceeds benefit OVS. -
Tuesday ,
AugAugust 13 , 2024
Tuesday, Aug 13th 8:00a to 10:00a
We will be observing Tisha B'Av on Monday, August 12 and Tuesday, August 13. -
Sunday ,
AugAugust 18 , 2024
Sunday, Aug 18th 4:30p to 6:30p
Join us for a congregational welcome back BBQ at the Hearshen's house. RSVP by Monday, August 12. Park at OVS and take the shuttle bus. -
Sunday ,
AugAugust 25 , 2024
Sunday, Aug 25th 5:00p to 7:00p
Join us for our annual Mitzvot Auction and Keftes Dinner on Sunday, August 25 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Now featuring a live band of OVS musicians including Rabbi Hearshen, David Falkenstein, Hal Rabinowitz and Graham Levitas, a professional auctioneer and online purchasing. Dinner is $20 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 are free. Complimentary Childcare with advanced registration. -
Monday ,
SepSeptember 2 , 2024
Monday, Sep 2nd 10:30a to 12:30p
Join us for a fun morning of picking apples for Rosh Hashana, visiting the petting zoo and more. Bring your lunch and join us for a picnic. Caravan from OVS at 9:00 am or meet at the orchard at 10:30 am at 9131 Highway 52 East, Ellijay, Georgia 30536. Members and non-members welcome. Participants will pay the orchard directly for entry and apples. -
Sunday ,
SepSeptember 8 , 2024
Sunday, Sep 8th 10:00a to 12:00p
Building Blocks Sunday School at Congregation Or VeShalom is for children nursery age through 5th grade. Learning will focus on Sephardic Jewish heritage, holidays, Hebrew, and Israel education will be infused into the program. -
Sunday ,
SepSeptember 8 , 2024
Sunday, Sep 8th 4:00p to 5:30p
OVS Sisterhood will join Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder and MACoM for Art and Uplift. Create a unique mezuzah to take home. $18 per person. Mezuzah parchment available for purchase. -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 6 , 2024
Sunday, Oct 6th 11:00a to 5:00p
Intergenerational Field Day, including Tashlich service, will be held at Camp Ramah Darom. Registration fee includes gourmet lunch, snacks, a boxed dinner to take home and all activities. $18 per person.
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Today's Calendar
Shacharit : 8:46am |
Mincha/Maariv : 7:40pm |
Havdalah : 9:17pm |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Pinchas
Shabbat, Jul 27 |
Candle Lighting
Shabbat, Jul 27, 8:23pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Jul 27, 9:17pm |
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Shabbat, Aug 3 |
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