A conservative estimate had over 700 men and women from the area meeting at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) in Edison on Tuesday night for a special evening of prayer and Tehillim in support of Israel and the IDF on Tuesday evening, October 10.

Following Maariv, Rabbi Steven Miodownik of Congregation Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, provided the introduction for the evening. Avi Tobias, whose son (a graduate of RPRY) is currently serving on the front lines in the IDF, movingly spoke about the present day situation. Adding that Hamas may have been motivated to attack seeing Israeli society fractured with political and ideological conflict, “our Iron Dome is our tefillot (prayers). I implore everyone to daven for the IDF and to treat each other with love and care to will merit us to see yeshuos (saving).”

The speech was followed by recitations of Tehillim led by several community rabbis. “There is strength in numbers. Our tefillot are magnified when we, as Jews, set aside petty differences and come together as one. May we soon speedily come together to celebrate as well,” concluded Rabbi Miodownik.