Two beautiful young sisters who grew up in my synagogue’s Day School, Norelle (age 25) and Roya (age 22) Manzuri, were murdered along with Norelle’s fiancé of 2 weeks, Omit Cohen, at the music festival in southern Israel on October 7. The hellish and excruciating pain their parents, Sigal and Menashe, and their young brother, Shai, feel is unbearable. My community at Temple Israel of Hollywood grieves with them and the families of all Israelis who have been murdered and we pray for healing of those thousands who have been injured. We share the anxiety of all Israeli families whose loved ones have been taken as Hamas hostages and of families whose children are Israeli soldiers preparing to fight and risk their lives on behalf of the people and State of Israel.

As Israel prepares to enter Gaza to remove Hamas’ authority and capacity to murder and terrorize our people (as well as Gazan Palestinians), everyone will have to hold onto mixed emotions and conflicting values in the prosecution of this war. Our higher Jewish moral aspirations for peace and non-violence cannot keep us from supporting what Israel must do in this war, to fight, because not fighting and leaving Hamas in place sends the message to Hezbollah and Iran, advocates of the destruction of the State of Israel and the indiscriminate murder of Israelis, that they can attack Israel and Jews with impunity.

Israel’s going to war based on revenge alone, however, is not morally justified, but failing to fight back is suicidal. Therefore, Israel has little alternative against the uncompromising terrorist organization of Hamas. I hope that Israel’s commanders and soldiers will fight with cool precision according to international standards of war, and they will do so with the courage necessary to prosecute this war as it needs to be done and not according to red-hot vengeance.

I respect pacifists for the non-violent moral principles by which they live, but there are times when aggressive self-defense is our people’s only option. This is one of those times. For me, who has been peace advocate my entire adult life, I feel the cursed tension in my advocacy for fighting to victory over Hamas knowing that Israel’s necessary actions are going to result in the death and injury of many of our own soldiers and the death and injury of many innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of this fight, who do not support Hamas, but who live as human shields to that terrorist organization. This is the burden that comes with national sovereignty and this is the call of moral responsibility.

Tonight (Wednesday, October 18) at 6:45 pm Pacific Time, there will be a memorial service at Temple Israel of Hollywood for Norelle, Roya, and Omit. You can join in person or by zoom – Click here to join the Zoom

You may also make a donation on behalf of the Manzuri family that has been set up by their relatives at Manzuri GoFundMe

Zichronam livracha – May Norelle, Roya, Omit and all who have perished be remembered with love and as abiding blessings to their families, to all who know and love them, and to the people of Israel.