Congregation Beis Hillel of Union, New Jersey, opened its doors to the broader community to raise achdut and solidarity for our sisters and brothers in Israel. Rabbi Shaya Winiarz spearheaded the program and opened by introducing the idea of engaging “spiritual tactics” in the war against Hamas. In addition to members of the shul, others came from neighboring Elizabeth and Linden, over 50 people in all.
“We all have been saying that we care so much for our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael who have been taken hostage by the monsters of Hamas.” said Rabbi Winiarz. “But it wasn’t enough to just say that we cared. We wanted to actually do something to help bring them home. So we got together in shul, and I explained that the Israeli government and the entire world are bewildered by the fact that Hamas managed to infiltrate Israel on October 7 and perpetrate the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
“Israel is so advanced in security, in technology, so how did it happen? Clearly it was a Divine decree, which is beyond the realm of logic and natural rules. But if so, our response cannot only be physical. Yes, we must fight. But that’s not enough. We need to use spiritual tactics.”
Holding up a stack of photos of the hostages, each with a name and age, Rabbi Winiarz attached a form, a contract of sorts. He then called upon the attendees to “adopt” a hostage. By adopting a hostage, the “adoption” meant completing the form, which is a commitment to 10 hours of learning Torah or davening as a merit for that hostage to return home safely. The 10 hours needed to be completed over the course of the next month: the equivalent of 20 minutes a day.
Rabbi Winiarz implored everyone: “Do you think that you would be willing to give 20 minutes of your day to help your suffering brothers and sisters?”
Following the adoption commitments, people proceeded downstairs to an event space, where they were guided by professional artist Michal Rimler in a painting activity. He led a step-by-step process of painting to produce a masterful picture of the Kotel with the sun in the background and a siddur in front. “After all, we are davening for the sun to once more rise over Yerushalayim, as peace will return with Moshiach coming soon.”
Rabbi Winiarz related that one person who came and adopted a hostage also took home a form for his wife, who wasn’t able to attend. He later texted: “My wife said we adopted too few. Can you see if there are four extra forms so we can take on more?”
The rabbi also noted how meaningful it was to see the number of people who came out on a wintry night to spend their evening finding a way to help other Jews.
