As the attack by Hamas and the responding war declaration from Israel continue to reverberate around the world and here at home, we wanted to hear from local community members.
Rabbi Michael Wolk of Charlotte’s Temple Israel joined WFAE's Nick de la Canal to discuss how his congregation is responding by raising money for an Israeli ambulance and first responders service, and how his community is finding strength in each other.
Nick de la Canal: I just want to start by asking, how are you doing?
Rabbi Michael Wolk: That's a really hard question to answer right now because on the one hand, you look around, it's hard to know that that anything is going on, that anything is different. But if you're Jewish right now, your attention is focused on Israel and what is happening there. So, the longer answer is not very well right now, Nick.
De La Canal: What have you heard over the past few days from your congregation? Or from other people of the Jewish faith in our area?
Wolk: Jewish people have a lot of emotions right now. There is an incredible sadness at the loss of life from the Hamas attack on Israelis and from the missile launches. Everyone in the Jewish community either knows somebody who was murdered or taken hostage or wounded, or if you don't know someone directly, you know someone who knows someone. Many of us have family members who are affected by this war. Many of us have family members who have been called up to the IDF, to serve in the Israeli Defense forces, and we're scared for them. We're also scared for ourselves right now, because whenever something happens in Israel, there is an increase in anti-Semitism in the United States.
De La Canal: How do you, as a faith leader, bring people together at a time like this when there is so much grief and uncertainty and so much that's still unknown about what will happen?
Wolk: There are a few ways that we respond. My temple is raising money for Magen David Adom, which is the Israeli ambulance first responder service and we're raising money to restock their ambulances, something that we can do that will make an immediate impact on the needs of Israelis and I'm glad that we are approaching $30,000 raised and our drive is ongoing. But we also have a job to respond religiously, and it's pulling people together, and Jews have always responded to tragedy by being together as a community, by praying together by studying together, by singing together, just by being together to draw strength from each other.
De La Canal: What has your community heard from the larger faith community around Charlotte? Have you heard from other churches, mosques, pastors or other faith communities?
Wolk: Yes, we have. We've had letters delivered to the temple from churches in the neighborhood wishing us, you know, extending their support, extending their concern and then there are a lot of faith leaders who don't know what to say. Obviously, this attack did not come out of the blue. It's part of a long conflict, although this one was a surprise, and people are very set in their opinions and from those faith leaders who are inclined to criticize Israel, we've heard some horrible justifications of Hamas' actions, not said directly to us, but said in the media and in the wider world.
De La Canal: I don't want to make this a political argument, but how do you, as a rabbi and as a community leader, think about the Palestinian community in Charlotte right now? Or those who are worried about the 2 million people in Gaza, is there a role for that discussion in your community, how do you think about that?
Wolk: Nick, I don't bear any ill will towards the Palestinian community in Charlotte or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Jewish people and the Palestinian people are not enemies [and] should not be enemies. But there's a big problem with that and that is the fact that, in Gaza, the Palestinian people of Gaza, are led by Hamas, and Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist group that has an explicit goal of wiping the Jewish state off the map. I think in peaceful times, there is, there should be a discussion about how two people, the Jews and the Palestinians live side by side in what is not a large area, but that discussion cannot take place while Hamas is launching terrorist attacks against Israel and Israelis.
De La Canal: I want to ask, as a spiritual leader, where do you draw from to support your community, let's say over the next week or so, is it from the Torah or specific practices? Your connections to other clergy? How will you think about that?
Wolk: I draw from Jewish tradition broadly. We have a long history of anti-Semitism, of being persecuted in different communities, of being attacked in different places. Knowing that we are heirs to that history, but also heirs to the incredible life-giving traditions of Judaism has been a real source of strength for me and for us. While this attack was a surprise, was a shock for us last Saturday — which was the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, or Simchat Torah — besides being our Sabbath, it's part of a long history of other attacks and we have come through all of those and still managed to thrive and we do it because of our commitment to our faith and because of our commitment to each other. The idea that Jews take care of our friends, of our neighbors, of our fellow Jewish people. So, I draw a lot of strength from being surrounded by other people who are going through the exact same experience and by participating in our rituals and our practices with them.
