Dear Friends:
Late last night three Americans who were falsely imprisoned in Russia landed at Joint Base Andrews after a complicated multinational prisoner exchange. Among them was Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Both of his parents were Jewish refugees from what was then the Soviet Union. His parents, Ella and Mikhail Gershkovich, met and got married in New York City. The family moved to Princeton, NJ, where he and his sister went to high school; the family spoke Russian at home. Evan Gershkovich was arrested and charged with espionage in 2023; he underwent a secret trial last month and was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony. Most Western observers believe that there was no basis for the accusation and conviction and that Gershkovich was arrested and held as leverage for the eventual prisoner swap which saw a number of Russian spies, including at least one who assassinated a Russian dissident in Germany, released and returned to Russia.
With yesterday having been the 300th day of captivity for our brothers and sisters who are being held as hostages by Hamas in Gaza, the hopes for their eventual release alive -- for however many of them in fact remain alive -- seem to grow more and more remote. This is all the more so as it seems increasingly likely that Israel is facing an imminent attack on multiple fronts. I spent a bit of time watching ILTV News in Hebrew this morning and all over the country, civilians are preparing for the possibility of an increase in fighting in both the North and South. It should be noted, however, that so far there has been no change in the state of alert or guidance issued by the Home Front Command. And while listening to Israeli radio this morning as I prepared this message, there have been no missile warning over the last hour or so. May it be, despite all indications, a Shabbat of Shalom.
On the subject of Israeli current events, I want to get on your radar screen that our area will be visited early next month by Dr. Yizhar Hess, the Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization. Dr. Hess was previously the Executive Director of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel for 13 years. He is a respected commentator on issues of religion and state in Israel and on Israel-Diaspora relations. His talk “Between October 7 and October 8” is sponsored by six Conservative synagogues in Upper and Central Montgomery County, including of course Kehilat Shalom. More information will be forthcoming soon.
We send our condolences to the family and friends of Andrew Garfinkel who passed away last week. Funeral services will be held at Kehilat Shalom this coming Sunday, August 4, at 1:15, with burial following at the Garden of Remembrance in Clarksburg. May his memory be a blessing and may God comfort the bereaved.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian
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