January 15, 2025

A Time for Peace

Steven D. Levy Interim CEO

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A
time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace”

It has been more than 15 months since the absolutely brutal attack by Hamas on innocent people in Israel and the ensuing war. This quote from Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) (3:1-8), one of our most sacred Jewish scriptures, seems most appropriate with the announcement of ceasefire in Gaza and the return of many hostages. As the Interim CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, I have seen firsthand the impact of this war on our partner communities in Israel. The families that have mourned more than 860 soldiers killed on duty protecting their country. The countless kibbutzim and other communities that are facing the daunting task of rebuilding. And too many innocent deaths on both sides.

This conflict fanned the flames of a smoldering wave of antisemitism across the globe—a plague that has infected so many and led to a plethora of crises in governments, schools, and between previously friendly neighbors. With optimism towards the future, we hope that this ceasefire, and the beginning of the return of almost 100 hostages, we can once again find common ground to heal, to dance, to sew, and to dream.

These past 15 months have stressed every fabric of our society, as we learned who our friends really were. Throughout this period, we have endured. In fact, we have proven that as a community we can respond with compassion, determination, and strength. Our Greater MetroWest community has risen to the many challenges and continues to do so today—and into the future.

In the past five years, our Federation has provided assistance to so many lives. From the Covid pandemic to our swift response to the needs of the Jewish community in Ukraine to aiding our incredible family in Israel. The only way we have been able to make all this possible is because of the generosity and collective effort of everyone working together.

During this time, we did not skip a beat with our “regular” work—supporting partner organizations that assist families with special needs, ensuring our children in Greater MetroWest have the highest quality education at our Early Childhood Centers and Jewish Day Schools, and making our Jewish Camps a haven for kids to find joy and have fun during a challenging year. We made sure that our Jewish Family Services (JFS) had the resources they needed to help Holocaust survivors as well as those in our community struggling with mental health challenges. These mental health needs will continue to be a priority for our work as we help build resilience here in the New Jersey Jewish community and in Israel.

There was a time not too long ago—October 6, 2023—when there was another ceasefire in place between Israel, Hamas, and the citizens living in Gaza. We can only hope that this ceasefire is a longer lasting one and that the dream of living in peace, side by side, will once again become a sustainable reality. As the hostages are returned home, we will hold each and every family impacted close to our hearts and do our best to support them.

No matter the atrocities, we have demonstrated that we can mobilize, we can lift each other up, and we can even mourn together.

Let us hope that starting very soon we can also celebrate together.

Finally, it seems appropriate to thank all the leaders of this country and other countries for their efforts to bring us to this critical point in time. May we all go from strength to strength.

Am Yisrael Chai!