VENICE – Or Lamishpachot visits the synagogue

“Your pain is our pain; your tears are our tears.” With these words, Chief Rabbi of Venice Alberto Sermoneta welcomed a delegation from Or Lamishpachot (Light for Families), an Israeli non-profit organization that supports the families of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks, to the Spanish Scola Grande, the largest and best-known Venetian synagogue.  Or Lamishpachot has a special relationship with Italy, and with the Jewish Community of Venice in particular, having visited it in the past.

Among the group this year was the daughter of Joseph Sebag, who served as Chief Rabbi of Venice from 1977 to 1980. Her son, the rabbi’s grandson, was recently killed in combat. Sermoneta brought greetings from the community and stressed that “every day in our synagogues, we pray for the State of Israel, for the lives of its soldiers, for the release of those who have been kidnapped, and for the memory of those who were barbarically slaughtered”, because “every Jewish community in the world is part of the Jewish people”, and “this is our strength.”