The Purim Story… Ultimately, fate is in our hands

Tonight concludes the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the thwarting of a plot to destroy the Jewish community of ancient Persia. You may know that on this holiday, we tell the story of Queen Esther, who strategically hides her Jewish identity from her husband, King Ahausuerus. Eventually, she bravely reveals her status as a Jewish person to convince the king to stop his advisor from implementing his evil plan, thus saving the Jewish community.

Today, as a community, we are still reeling from the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and ensuing war, and the outrageous vitriol and antisemitism that has quickly become mainstream. We are reminded that serious challenges occur in every generation. Importantly, we are also reminded that our fate is ultimately in our own collective hands. We are responsible for one another. We must act with purpose and respond to the needs of our community.

You, the members of our community, understand that the J’s responsibility includes our membership but reaches beyond to the entire Northern Virginia Jewish community, and to the broader community. As we further engage people around Jewish values, we will be able to make a bigger impact throughout the region.  Moving forward, you will be seeing the J lean further into social impact, focusing on support for Israel, for democracy, and for repairing the world.

We thank you for your continued partnership in building community. It is your steadfast support of the J that helps us come together to weather challenging times and ensure that our community continues to thrive.

B’yachad (together)