Like many of you, I am feeling overcome with the darkness around me. The war in Israel is raging, the barrage of rockets is relentless, and the horrific images of our hostages are imprinted on my mind’s eye. I watch our brave soldiers, so many of them looking like they just stepped out of high school, courageously preparing for battle.
These times are overwhelming. But along with all the darkness, I’ve been seeing another pattern slowly emerge, and it is brilliant in its light. Look around you and you will see it too.
My social media feeds and neighborhood chat groups are inundated with the most precious and beautiful acts of light. From the smallest gestures to the most glorious and huge undertakings, I see my brothers and sisters all over the world stepping up to the plate. No matter their political leanings or religious standing, the pinetele yid, the pure Jewish soul, shines so brightly, it is almost blinding.
I am so proud right now to be a Jew! With each and every act that I witness, I gain more hope for our people, and for our world.
So alongside all the sadness and pain, alongside the horrendous hatred, here are just a few of the many acts of positivity. When you feel overwhelmed by the darkness, read about these shining rays of light. But more than just reading about what others are doing, please share what YOU are witnessing. What is happening in your corner of the world? And what are you doing?
As I write this, I just received a picture of a 95-year-old Israeli man in army uniform volunteering as a reservist. (No, that wasn’t a typo. He’s 95!) His job? To boost morale.
We are each being called up right now. There are so many units that we can belong to—the charity division, the prayer unit, the Torah-learning platoon, and the kindness brigade. Let’s boost our morale, spring into action, and share these acts of light.
Let me start off:
- Account by an El Al crew member: A religious Jewish man who preferred to remain anonymous stood quietly near the El Al counter at New York’s JFK airport yesterday. Anyone who showed him an IDF-call-up notice had their tickets paid for. He paid for 250 tickets!
- Forwarded text from a woman in Israel whose name is Tsipora Dahan: “I’m part of a group of doulas that live all over the country and would like to volunteer our services to any woman giving birth without her husband because of the war. Please pass this info on to any groups you are part of.”
- A non-kosher restaurant in Tel Aviv has koshered their kitchen so that they can donate kosher food to the soldiers.
- Israeli teens have been volunteering to stock the shelves in grocery stores whose workers are all out on the frontlines.
- Collections were leaving from cities and towns throughout the JFK area, collecting thousands of camelbacks (water bags), headlamps, portable chargers, sleeping bags, and even things like gloves, socks, and toothbrushes. Donations came pouring in.
- Jews from all over the world are on their way to Israel to offer their help. These include people needed to dig graves, offer medical assistance, or distribute tzitzit to soldiers.
- Posted on a large kosher food group on Facebook: “For the babies and infants who are separated from their parents, is there a need for donated breastmilk? Is there a way we can get it to them?” This was a day ago. There are over 100 responses of people wanting to help and a coordination effort is now underway.
- Hundreds of thousands of Jews have gathered in cities all across the globe to pray. Groups ranged from the tens of thousands to small groups of a few people.
- On an Israeli cooking group on Facebook, hundreds of Israeli mothers are offering to raise babies and orphans who were left without parents. They are offering to raise these children with joy and love. Some of the mothers are nursing and offering their milk.
- In Jerusalem, Israeli surgeons continue to operate on a soldier despite sirens warning of incoming missiles.
- Israeli teens have been going door to door, offering to take down sukkahs for families whose husbands and fathers have been called up for service.
- Soldiers based at the Gaza border dance and sing with a comrade who was meant to get married yesterday.
- All over the world Jewish people are showing up to do mitzvahs, especially on college campuses that have been bastions of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred.
- A man went to a soldier to offer him food. “I don’t want food, I want tzitzit,” the soldier said. The man told him, “I only have the tzitzit I’m wearing,” and handed him his own tzitzit. The soldier said, “Come, let’s take a picture together, and when I come back from the fighting we will take another picture with the tzitzit that protected me!”
- A friend shared on Facebook: One of my rabbis saw an announcement asking for people to host families from the south. He called 45 minutes later to offer help and was told, “We already found everyone a place.” He asked how many families they had been looking to host and was told, “Six thousand.” Homes were opened for 6,000 displaced families in 45 minutes!
- Sign in a Teaneck kosher café on Tuesday: 100% of purchases today will be going to United Hatzalah, Magen David Adom and Friend of the IDF.
These are just tiny glimmers of the innumerable acts of light being done throughout the world by our beautiful brothers and sisters. The times are so dark, and the hatred is rampant, but the light of the Jewish soul is shining brightly. I’ve never been so proud to be a Jew!
But this page will not be complete without YOU sharing what you are witnessing in your corner of the world. It doesn’t have to be grand, but it does have to be something!
Please share your act of light below.
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