Achoteinu v’Acheinu – Our Sisters and Brothers

The Monday after Simchat Torah 5785-2024, this past week, we met with our sister congregation in Israel, Congregation Darchei Noam. We shared our stories, our feelings, our worries, and our concerns with one another. Our experiences over the past year since last October 7th have been different and also similar. While we cannot know all that goes on in another person’s or another community’s life, we can offer our support and understanding to one another. One way that our Israeli sisters and brothers have been sharing their stories is through the arts.

Art offers us a glimpse, a window into the soul, it also allows us a way to channel our grief. The creative expression that has come out of the pain and horror of this year is extraordinary, in spite of and because of the circumstances that we as a Jewish people have been living. At the end of my sermon on Yom Kippur morning, I shared a song that had just been recorded by talented musicians and media producers from our IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism – our Reform movement) congregations in Israel. The video features the song’s composer Aya Korem, Rabbi-Cantor Shani Ben Or, musicians Yuval Eiluz and Linor Ein Gedi, and the families of the hostages.

The song, “Shalom Achot” (Shalom Sister) expresses the difficult feelings of grief, of waiting for the return of the hostages, the longing, exhaustion and despair that continues when there is no end to the waiting for their return and no end to the war in sight. The video features many of the family members of the hostages who are waiting for their loved ones to return. The names of the remaining hostages are projected on the lower left corner of the video.

Israeli composer and singer, Aya Korem, wrote the song “Shalom Achot” (Shalom Sister), as if it is a response to “Mah Shlomech Achot”? (How Are You Sister), a song written in 1986 by composer and singer Naomi Shemer. In “Mah Shlomech Achot”, Naomi Shemer is addressing a letter to Ida Nudel, the Russian Jewish refusenik. Shemer sings to Nudel, who wants only to come home to Israel, but as a Soviet Jew and activist is imprisoned by the Soviet government and denied an exit visa.

In “Mah Shlomech Achot” Shemer sings:

How are you, sister of the morning,
How are you, sister?
This weather
Reminds me of forgotten memories.
It’s good the window is open –
We need to keep our composure,
And our strength

There aren’t many reasons to be happy –
I feel more like crying.
There is almost nowhere to run to,
We need to wait some more….

In “Shalom Achot” Korem sings in response:

Hello sister, I’m fine,
No news yet.
it’s this weather
and in the corner of the eye
The window is indeed open
But no wind blows
There are skies, for now
But there is no strength.

I am searching for reasons to be happy again
I don’t want to cry
They told me to wait, only no one (told us)
How long we would have to wait…
And her refrain is:
It’s late, and it’s hard for me to sing
And it is difficult to thaw a heart
on fields expecting rains
on red flowers
on measures of mercy
Will someone sing for me/in my place /to my God

In the original “Mah Shlomech Achot”, Shemer offers comfort based on Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy”:

“There’s one thing I already know by heart;
Whatever is not born through tears
is not worth much
Whatever is not born through tears
Will not be brought through in song
And will not bring healing”

And in her chorus she sings:

When it is difficult for me to sing,
And everything crashes down on my head,
Let me remember
And always be reminded –
That you have me,
I have you,
We have us.
As the days and weeks and months continue with no end to the waiting for the hostages return and no end to the war in sight, may our sisters and brothers in Israel and may we here remember
And always be reminded –
That you have me,
I have you,
We have us.

Together we are One family. Am Yisrael Chai!

Please support our Israeli Reform movement – IMPJ ARZA Canada

L’shalom,
Rabbi Audrey S. Pollack

Filed under: Rabbi's Message

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