Title: Despite Everything: A Chronicle of Jewish Resilience in the Aftermath of October 7th
By: Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz (269 pages)
Despite Everything by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun, a Manhattan Modern Orthodox flagship synagogue, gathers his weekly essays in which he tries to find the words to guide his congregation, and himself, through the fast-moving cascade of events that was this past year – the horrifying devastation of October 7 and the ensuing regional war. Through these essays, he creates the space for his readers and congregants to reflect meaningfully and profoundly in real time, a remarkable feat of pastoral leadership.
As Rabbi Steinmetz notes in his introduction, the essays are presented as they were originally written and disseminated, arranged chronologically. Most relate to the weekly Torah portion, others were originally holiday messages, and yet others focus on congregational events – missions to Israel, philanthropic activities – and current events which prompted a formal response.
The worldview Rabbi Steinmetz expresses lies solidly within the Modern Orthodox/Religious Zionist mainstream. Service to the State of Israel and IDF are upheld as religious values. The war in Gaza is a just war being fought justly. The loss of civilian Palestinian lives is regrettable and tragic, but a necessary consequence of Hamas’ tactics, and Hamas holds the ultimate responsibility. Hope for peaceful Israeli-Palestinian coexistence is expressed as a value, but there is no description or endorsement of a particular political arrangement to achieve that goal.
That said, the topics of the essays are wide-ranging. An essay on Parashat Vayikra dealing with sacrifice and sacrifices takes on the topic of charedi participation in the army. Parashat Mishpatim, dealing with courts and order, includes a detailed response to the International Court of Justice for investigating claims of Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Others highlight inspirational stories from Israel, both from the front lines and the home front.
The title is apt. Again and again, Rabbi Steinmetz reminds his readers that life continues to go on, and, though changed forever, will eventually find a new equilibrium. The very first essay, recording the initial shock and despair of October 7, references a story about the blessing Shehechayanu, recited by Rabbi Israeli Spira in Bergen-Belsen on Chanukah. When asked how he could offer a blessing of thanksgiving in such a context, Rabbi Spira responded that he was grateful for the very fact of Jews coming together to celebrate and affirm their faith under the most trying conditions. We too, concludes Rabbi Steinmetz, can pronounce this blessing over the resolve and unity demonstrated by the people of Israel and Jews around the world in response to October 7.
Reflecting on Parashat Vayetzei and Jacob’s dream of a ladder, he reassures us that we will continue to dream of rebuilding and moving on. Before Purim, he reminds us that we will laugh again. Tisha B’Av is, for him, an expression of faith and commitment – we got through all of the historical tragedies we mourn, and we will get through this as well. Despite everything.
Part of a mini-genre of one-year collections published around the first anniversary of the attacks, Despite Everything is not just the work of a writer or pundit, but a communal leader. A key theme that surfaces in several essays is Rabbi Steinmetz’s insistence on reacting to tragedy with positive action, and he tells the story, week by week, of his congregation’s impressive collective response. We read of missions to Israel, visits to soldiers on the front lines, volunteerism at aid organizations, political advocacy, and impactful philanthropy.
Rabbi Steinmetz brings a breadth of knowledge to his writing. His sources include traditional sources and commentaries, contemporary rabbinic writing, anecdotes from Jewish history, and Hebrew and English poetry and literature. It is to his credit that he was able to marshal these resources into thoughtful, sophisticated messages on a weekly basis. The effect contextualizes and grounds the events of the past year. Rather than their being unprecedented and overwhelming, we realize that we do have language to discuss them, we have historical precedents to draw lessons from, we have great leaders who dealt with them – and we have the experience of having survived and moved forward.
I read most of the book on Shemini Atzeret, recalling how I felt as the shocking news from Israel began to filter into our synagogue. As I read the first essays, that shock was reflected back to me. Flipping through the weeks and months, I felt the weight of the truly bewildering amount that we’ve all had to process this year.
I found it poignant that the book ended abruptly about two months short of the one-year mark, though I imagine that was a choice determined by a print schedule. In any event, the first anniversary, with the war continuing to rage and hostages still in captivity, felt like an arbitrary milestone. “It” is certainly not over. A theme of the first essays in the book is survival – finding the strength to get up and keep going after absorbing a terrible blow. A theme of the later essays is cultivating the resolve and persistence to see a long, hard process through to the end. As we do, we are fortunate to have rabbis who can both inspire and model those traits for us.
