Dear Seattle Community,

Yesterday was Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, traditionally the saddest day of the Jewish year. Tisha B’Av marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, and the beginning of exile in the diaspora. Over centuries, Tisha B’Av has come to encompass many other tragedies for our people – from the Bar Kochba revolts and the Spanish Inquisition to the deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto. It is a communal day where we honor the sorrow of our past while holding space for the loss in our world today. 

Here in Seattle, this time of year holds a deeply personal sense of solemnity for our community. In just a few days, we will mark the 20th anniversary of one of the darkest days in the history of the local Jewish community: the tragic shooting at the Federation offices on July 28, 2006. That hateful antisemitic attack took the life of Pamela Waechter z’’l and injured five people. Pam was a beloved colleague at the Federation and a devoted leader at Temple B’nai Torah, and she is missed dearly by many in our community. At the Federation, we honor her memory each year with our Jewish communal professional award named in her honor.

A week ago, we held a moving memorial Shabbat service in partnership with Temple B’nai Torah, coinciding with the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the shooting. During the service, Rabbi Jim Mirel shared a perspective that stayed with me. He noted that around the world, millions of Jews throughout history have been killed just for being Jewish. In the United States, however, the number of Jews killed just for being Jewish is dramatically smaller, numbering in the dozens. For centuries, American Jews have largely enjoyed safety, freedom, and belonging in our country. That shooting at the Seattle Federation became a moment when that sense of security was forever shattered, and our community has experienced firsthand the painful reality of antisemitism.

Yet, even in its grief, Tisha B’Av points us toward hope. The biblical Prophets foresaw destruction and exile, but they also steadfastly held onto the promise of renewal. That endurance defines who we are as a Jewish people. As the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote: 

“The Jews gave to the world this idea of time as a narrative of hope, which meant that what is lost can be regained, what is destroyed can be rebuilt, and what disappears may one day return. Our Prophets were able to see beyond the horizon of history, so that where everyone else saw doom, they also saw the hope that lay just over that horizon, and they understood that there was a route from here to there. That really is a remarkable vision.”

This movement from sorrow to comfort is embedded directly in our calendar. Tisha B’Av is followed immediately by Shabbat Nachamu – the Shabbat of comfort – which begins a seven-week journey toward Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Its name comes from the special haftarah reading in Isaiah: “Nachamu, nachamu ami” (“Comfort, comfort my people”).

That’s why, as I reflect on this solemn anniversary and the ongoing challenges we all face, I find comfort in seeing the many ways that hope manifests in our community today:

• In the joy of our youth: I recently visited Camp Solomon Schechter and saw the vibrant Jewish joy our children are experiencing at overnight camp. From playing in the lake and conquering the ropes course to performing songs from Fiddler on the Roof, I saw hundreds of kids from across Washington building proud Jewish identities alongside dedicated mentors and peers.

• In the celebration of our leaders: This past weekend, we held our annual Federation Lion of Judah Luncheon – an event also named in memory of Pamela Waechter – with our leading female supporters. Seeing first-time attendees sitting alongside women who have supported the Federation for five decades was a powerful reminder that together, we build the Jewish future every single day. 

• In a new generation getting involved: Next week, I will join our National Young Leadership Cabinet cohort at their annual retreat in Minneapolis, where they will gather with hundreds of leaders in their 30s and 40s from across the country. I am proud that Seattle has one of the largest participating delegations, and that our very own Stephanie Shujman will begin her term as national co-chair of this Jewish Federations of North America program. It has been over three decades since a national co-chair came from Seattle, and we are thrilled that Stephanie is representing us on the national stage of Jewish life. 

From our summer campers to our Lion of Judah donors and our emerging young leaders heading to Minneapolis, seeing vibrant Jewish life thriving across every generation is the very essence of Nachamu. These gatherings are not just highlights of our summer – they demonstrate that even in challenging times, our community continues to nourish, empower, and lift one another up.

As we welcome Shabbat Nachamu this evening, my hope is that our community can hold both the memory of what we have lost and see a future where hope lies just over the horizon, even in dark times.

Shabbat shalom,