Temple Shalom in Wheeling To Host Interfaith Service Tonight To Support Israel
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WHEELING -- Rabbi Joshua Lief of Temple Shalom said that Hamas' incursion into Israel is not only an attack on the Jewish faith, but an attack on people of faith everywhere.
"We are all being attacked at the moment," he said. "The idea of a world of peace and freedom is being attacked right now. You are being attacked, I am being attacked. Anyone who believes as Americans do, that people should be free to worship as they choose, that people should be safe in their homes, those kinds of values are what Hamas is attacking right now."
Lief and Temple Shalom is inviting people of all faiths to the synagogue at 23 Bethany Pike at 7 p.m. today for an interfaith service in support of Israel. Lief said faith leaders from several area churches already have told him they will attend.
Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli towns Saturday, a major Jewish holiday. Hundreds of Israelis were killed, including an estimated 260 at a music festival near the Gaza border. Israel made a formal declaration of war against Hamas, sealed off the Gaza Strip from food, fuel and other supplies and commenced airstrikes in response to the attacks.
Though the war rages half a world away, Lief said it doesn't feel that far away for him and many in his congregation. Lief had visited in February some of the kibbutzim that Hamas attacked this past weekend. Members of the Temple Shalom community living in Israel are missing and feared dead.
The blame, Lief said, falls upon Hamas, a militant, nationalist organization in Palestine. He agrees that many Palestinians live in squalor and suffering, but that is largely due to the actions of Hamas.
"They are horrible, evil people," Lief said of Hamas, "and the events of this week should put to bed the lie of moral equivalence. There is no moral equivalence.
"You cannot claim moral standing if you support what Hamas is doing, kidnapping and murdering children and civilians," he added. "That's nobody's rules of war. That's not valid. That is terrorism."
At tonight's service at Temple Shalom, information will be available about making charitable contributions through the Jewish Federations of North America to help the victims of the attack. There will be both short-term and long-term needs for those victims, Lief said.
Lief said he and his congregation have long appreciated the support they have received in the Ohio Valley. Following the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Temple Shalom held a similar interfaith service and welcomed hundreds of all faiths who supported the Jewish community.
"I have always believed that there are more good people in the world than evil people," Lief said. "In fact, far more good people than evil people. It's unfortunate that it takes tragic events like this to bring us together. It's unfortunate that there has to be something awful that happened to remind us how blessed we are to live in freedom most of the time.
"Temple Shalom has been a part of this Wheeling community for nearly 175 years now," he continued. "And we are grateful for all of our friends and neighbors who include us, support us, stand with us, not only in times of trouble but also in good occasions as well. When we try and make our world a better place together, we can accomplish a lot more than any of us can on our own."