The second night of Hanukkah this year fell on the shloshim for the Israelis slain during the Har Nof massacre in Jerusalem. Some true leaders in the Philadelphia Jewish community took the opportunity to create a unifying event to honor those who had fallen, and to “rededicate” themselves to shed light where there is darkness.
Several hundred people from a broad spectrum of the Philadelphia Jewish community stood together in front of Temple Adath Israel in Philadelphia’s western suburb of Merion Station on Dec. to light both memorial and hannukah candles, to sing together prayers and HaTikva, and to listen to community leaders speak about unity, resilience and rededication.
Among the featured speakers at the event were the Israeli Consul General, the president of the local Jewish Federation, a Pennsylvania state senator, a representative of the Philadelphia Druze community, and the force behind the event, the rabbi of the host synagogue, Eric Yanoff.
In an act of terrorism which stood out for brazen barbarism in a long list of terrorist acts, two Arab Israeli cousins entered Kehillah Bnei Torah Synagogue during shacharit services armed with a gun, knives and a meat cleaver, and assaulted worshippers.
The terrorists killed four Jewish men praying, Rabbis Shmuel Goldberg, Moshe Twersky, Kalman Levine and Aryeh Kupinsky. One of the first responders, Zidan Saif, a Druze police officer, also lost his life in the attack.
The terrorists were killed by police who converged upon the scene.
How did it come to be that a suburban synagogue became the site of a memorial to those massacred at Har Nof, as well as a strong statement of religious and inter-denominational unity? Philadelphia has not lately been on the cutting edge of much, including pro-Israel activism.
Shortly after the Har Nof massacre, a congregant, Claude Shoenberg, suggested that the shul hold a memorial service for the rabbis and the Druze officer. It was Rabbi Yanoff who noted that the shloshim coincided with the second night of Hanukkah, which all agreed was propitious for turning a memorial for a tragedy into a statement of unity opposing and surmounting evil.
An email was sent to 14 Philadelphia area Jewish organizations, inviting them to be co-sponsors, and information was later sent to all the area synagogues, asking them to distribute flyers announcing the event. Another congregant, Michael Saewitz, drafted the advertisements for the event, reached out to the Druze community to ensure it was welcomed and represented and understood that its son also was mourned and honored by the event.
Rabbi Yanoff told The Jewish Press: “we are proud to be hosting – and even more proud that the idea and the energy for this commemoration came from passionate individuals who inspired over a dozen agencies to act in this inspirational way.”
Consul General Yaron Sideman spoke forcefully to the crowd about the immorality of terrorism. He spoke about the need for all people to stand together against those who seek to weaken the spirit of the Jewish people. The representative of the Jewish State also thanked the community for coming together to make such a strong statement.
Pennsylvania state senator Anthony Williams struck a strong note of unity, pointing out how good people – four rabbis and a police officer in a synagogue, two people in a chocolates cafe, 140 children in a school – spread all across the world, have suffered the inhumanity of terrorism.
“We are united, against racial and religious divides, against the inhumanity of terrorism,” Senator Williams told the large, responsive crowd. Williams’ presence was especially appreciated, as in the past few decades the close alliance between the Jewish and African American communities has been frayed. Senator Williams has made it his business to appear at events important to the Jewish community, whether at Hillel events or commemorations such as the one for the Har Nof victims.
