Tag: antisemitism
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Hearing Requires Room for Every Story
Hearing is never a passive bureaucratic gesture. Twice a day, Jewish liturgy commands us to engage in a profound act of spiritual attention: “Hear, O Israel.” We know the Shema not as a polite request, but as the central spiritual imperative of our tradition. To hear is to bear witness to the Eternal, to internalise…
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We Will Not Hide Our Light
Rabbi Adrian M. Schell addresses the Wimbledon Synagogue community following the horrific knife attack on the streets of Golders Green. The fading surprise at such violence is perhaps the most terrifying reality of all. Our response cannot simply be to retreat behind higher fences.Exploring Parashat Emor and its demand for “one standard for stranger and…
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We Will Not Hide
Again! I found myself staring at the news alerts yesterday, feeling that familiar, heavy tightening in my chest. Another attack. This time, a knife on the streets of Golders Green. The shock is instinctive, but if I am brutally honest with myself, the surprise is fading. And that fading surprise is perhaps the most terrifying…
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They Burned Our Ambulances, Not Our Resolve
On Monday morning, we woke to images that turn the stomach. Four ambulances, vehicles whose absolute sole purpose is to save lives, were reduced to charred, twisted metal in Golders Green. The shattered glass and the blackened frames speak of a profound, targeted hatred. To attack a Jewish volunteer emergency service is not simply an…
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The Theft of Memory: Why the “Palestinian Jesus” Narrative is Antisemitism
From the billboards of New York City to the viral feeds of our social media, a troubling narrative has taken hold this holiday season. The claim that “Jesus was a Palestinian” is being repeated with increasing confidence, often framed as a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed. Yet, beneath this veneer of social justice lies…
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God is Not a Monster
How do we find a meaningful Jewish response to the Sydney terror attack? In this week’s sermon on Parashat Mikeitz, Rabbi Adrian (Wimbledon Synagogue) challenges the idea that tragedy is part of a divine script. If we claim that everything happens for a reason, we risk portraying a “Puppeteer God” who is cruel. Instead, we…
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At the End: Finding God After the Chaos
The Hebrew word that gives this week’s Torah portion its name, Mikeitz, translates simply as ‘at the end’. It refers to the end of two years of Joseph’s imprisonment, marking the precise moment his fortune shifts. In the biblical narrative, the timing is impeccable. Pharaoh dreams, the cupbearer suddenly remembers Joseph, and in a whirlwind…
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May our light outshine their hatred.
It seems that all too often in recent years, just as we prepare to kindle the lights of a joyful festival, a shadow is cast over our celebration. The news from Sydney this morning is shocking, heartbreaking, and feels incredibly close to home, despite the distance. …
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How Can We Rejoice? A Sukkot Message Two Years After October 7th
My sermon for Erev Sukkot addresses a direct and painful collision in the Jewish calendar: the beginning of ‘z’man simchateinu’, the season of our joy, falls on the exact second anniversary of the October 7th atrocities. It explores how the sukkah itself, with its flimsy walls and lesson in vulnerability, will not let us hide…
