I just saw a picture of the Richards family, a family that has been torn apart by the senseless bombing at the Boston Marathon. My heart breaks for them.
As a Jew, it seems too eerily familiar. We have a long history of picking up pieces after our families have been torn apart. The Holocaust, the Intifada, the Fogels. The antisemitism that aggrieves us in all its forms.
My husband and I were discussing the Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s national independence day) celebration at our son’s school. At first we both felt that it should be somewhat subdued because of the Boston bombings.
On second thought, I felt, no, we should continue our celebration with the same fervor. Every year on Yom Hazikaron we relive Israel’s tragic history, all the lives lost for our State. Every year it ends with a celebration of Israel’s existence on Yom Ha’atzmaut. The fact that we can celebrate after so much loss is a miracle within itself. But it is the ultimate sign of hope, resilience, courage and promise for the future.
We offer to you the people of Boston, that hope can come after tragedy. You can be be resilient, courageous and strong even when it seems so bleak. Yes, we have lost our loved ones, and yes, we have been down, but we can pick ourselves up again; we can celebrate life and all the blessings that we have.
Our blessing to you, all who were affected by the Boston bombing, is that you will find the strength to rise from the ashes.
Adina Soclof, MS. CCC-SLP, works as a Parent Educator for Bellefaire Jewish Children’s Bureau facilitating How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk workshops as well as workshops based on Siblings Without Rivalry. Adina also runs parentingsimply.com.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.