Having trouble viewing this email? Click here May 19, 2021 – 8 Sivan 5781

By Rabbi Giuseppe Momigliano

“It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it”. (Jeremiah 30,7). The Jewish people are experiencing days of pain: after the tragedy of Meron, we now witness with increasing anguish the dramatic events of war whereby our brethren in Israel are subjected to bloody, incessant missile attacks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations based in Gaza, while another front unfortunately opens in Israel, with violent reactions and other acts of unprecedented severity, such as lynching incidents and the burning of a synagogue by Arab population groups in various cities.
The State of Israel is facing the situation with the necessary firmness and strength but always keeping in mind the criteria of humanity that the Torah teaches us: towards attacks from outside, having as its primary objective the protection of its population and the commitment to strike the enemy to neutralize them, limiting the victims as much as possible; towards the inside, re-establishing order with the necessary measures of authorities andpolice but at the same time propagating, through the voice of political authorities and respected rabbis, urgent appeals to the Jewish population to absolutely avoid responding to the violence by the Arabs with personal initiatives of revenge and vigilante justice.
At the same time, Jews from all over the world show solidarity and make themselves spokesmen for the reality of the events and situations that preceded and determined this explosion of violence, which we know is often distorted in a hostile way against Israel by the information sources.
Beyond all these different areas of reaction to the dramatic events, let us remember that our Rabbis urge us to face moments of suffering and particular struggles not only by intervening on the direct causes but also by reflecting on the possible spiritual implications and on the initiatives that we must actuate from a Jewish point of view.
The solemn days of Shavuot just showed us some lines of thought and action regarding the difficult situation we are experiencing. Firstly, let us consider that the event of Mount Sinai, which is remembered in Shavuot, represents a fundamental moment of unity of the Jewish people. Unity that was determined and cemented the moment we responded affirmatively to the proposal of the Covenant with the Lord and prepared to receive the Torah, “The people responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do”.
Concretely in the present, I think it means that we must remember what unites us most deeply and try to rediscover it first in the Torah. Reality, though, is very different. The words of the Torah divide us much more than unite us, while instead we look for what unites us in the fight against anti-Semitism and in the support of Israel. Obviously, very valid causes. But also, perhaps for this very reason, at least in part they divert and distract us from the main problem; the defense of Israel, the defense of the Jewish people is a subject so crucial that it occupies and engages us but does not make us realize that we are missing something essential.
Indeed, while we strive to counter the infamy of antisemitism and to defend the things we hold dear that they are trying to take away from us, how much do we focus on knowing and understanding what we really are as Jewish people, on how to achieve it through the Torah? Obviously, in this brief reflection we cannot give answers to that, but we can give a little reminder that might help: the Torah tells us that all the people of Israel were absolutely united at the foot of mount Sinai while listening to the Ten Commandments (the Ten Words, Aseret ha-Dibberot). But the Rabbis also teach us that the Voice of God – so the very same Words – reached the sons and daughters of Israel in strength and measure equal to their ability of receptivity and comprehension.
Maybe we can imply that we have to find in the Torah what unites us all, what represents our souls, our duties, our goals, yet at the same time also what expresses the different sensitivities, minds and hearts of each and every Jew.

Translated and revised by Oyebuchi Lucia Leonard and Silvia Bozzo, students at Trieste University and at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of Trieste University, interns at the newspaper office of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.

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From North to South, Italian Jewish communities last week mobilized to express solidarity with the population of Israel under the gun of Hamas terrorists. In Rome, leaders and representatives of the main political forces participated in the demonstration organized by the Jewish community in front of the Great Synagogue, which is the main point of reference for Roman Judaism and the place that remembers an atrocious and incurable wound: the Palestinian attack on 9 October 1982 in which the two-year old Stefano Gaj Taché was killed. “Our child, an Italian child”, the President Sergio Mattarella would call him in an unforgettable speech that marked a turning point in the long and tiring journey of awareness.
“Jihad, Hamas, terrorists, undermine a model of coexistence. And we cannot accept those who undermine our right to exist, those who undermine the peace and the future”. So Ruth Dureghello, president of the Roman Jews, who opened the marathon of testimonies. “Our model - she then added, recalling some concepts recently expressed by the Head of State - looks to peace and the desire to coexist”.
The ceremony was concluded by the President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities Noemi Di Segni, who read the names of the victims, expressed concern for the latest distressing developments and invited the Western world “not to legitimize the Hamas terrorists”. The Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni concluded with the reading of a psalm, 120, which has a lot to say about the authentic meaning of peace. The initiative was introduced by Alex Zarfati, president of the Community Council, and by the sound of the alarm siren that he repeatedly rang and unfortunately continues to resound in the cities of Israel. Also heard, the voice of the young Jews (UGEI), represented by their Councilor Micol Di Gioacchino: “We cannot remain silent”.
                                                                                      
In Milan, representatives of the civil society, politicians, and ordinary citizens gathered in front of the central synagogue in via della Guastalla. “We are here to remind you that Israel has the right to live in peace. We must not be afraid to express our solidarity with the Jewish state, a country that defends democracy”, said the president of the Milan Jewish Community Milo Hasbani. Before reciting a prayer for the wounded in the synagogue, the Chief Rabbi Alfonso Arbib recalled the internal tensions in the country. Not only the rockets fired by Hamas, but also the violence, for example in Lod, where Arab demonstrators devastated the city and set fire to a synagogue.
“I have seen terrible images. There were people who, speaking of the violence, recalled the pogrom against the Jews of Kishinev in early twentieth century. I did not believe that such an atmosphere could be experienced in Israel. We must rebel, not just those close to our community. Everyone must say that all this is unacceptable”.

(Above, the event in Rome)

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A los 86 años, Sophia Loren recibió el premio David di Donatello, el más importante del cine italiano, por su trabajo como actriz protagónica en La vida ante sí, dirigida por su hijo, Edoardo Ponti y que puede verse en Netflix. Es difícil creer que la primera vez que recibí un David fue hace más de 60 años, pero esta noche parece ser la primera vez. La emoción es la misma, la alegría es la misma”, dijo Sophia Loren mientras era ovacionada.
La actriz destacó además que el protagonista junto a ella es “un niño maravilloso y mágico, que se llama Ibrahima”, en referencia al pequeño actor Ibrahima Gueye, que tiene un importante rol en la película. “Agradezco a mi director, Edoardo. Su corazón y su sensibilidad le han dado vida y alma a esta película y a mi personaje, también por eso le estoy realmente muy agradecida a mi hijo, es un hombre maravilloso”, agregó. ”No sé si esta será mi última película, pero todavía quiero hacer más, siempre más hermosas, ­absolutamente no puedo vivir sin cine”.

*Este articulo fue publicado en Clarín el 12 de Mayo de 2021.

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