IT HAPPENED TOMORROW Mixed Blessing

By Guido Vitale*

The Italian Rabbinical Assembly has issued an announcement advising Italian Jews on what are appropriate behaviors and prayers to adopt when invoking the release of the three kidnapped Israeli boys. This message is likely to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand it represents an understandable attempt to channel the initial sincere, albeit chaotic, actions and feelings (such as the call for people to fast). On the other hand, it risks stifling the intensity of sincere and genuine reactions.

*Guido Vitale is the editor-in-chief of Pagine Ebraiche