Dear TBZ Community,
On Sunday, for Mother’s Day, I joined our TBZ team, over forty walkers strong, for the 29th Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, organized by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. That beautiful, sunny day marked my first time walking. I was deeply moved to be there with my eldest daughter among thousands of others. The Walk is an opportunity for families, community members, advocates, and supporters to come together to honor loved ones lost to violence and to actively invest in peace through walking, fundraising, and communal action.
This year’s theme was “Cultivating Cycles of Peace.” The speakers, including Chaplain Clementina Chéry, the founder of the Peace Institute and mother of Louis D. Brown, as well as other parents of children lost to gun violence, spoke with deep conviction about turning pain into purpose.
The theme emphasizes the community’s power to move beyond cycles of violence and to invest in healing, by uplifting survivors; supporting returning citizens and their families; and empowering “Generation Peace,” the young leaders shaping our collective future.
“Move beyond cycles of violence…” That message is so urgent – and at times, it feels nearly impossible. But listening to the mothers of survivors speak about hope, about healing, about choosing peace, brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that it is possible.
The mission and vision of the Peace Institute is:
To serve as a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss. To create and sustain an environment where all families can live in peace and all people are valued.
Their mission reminded me of the work of the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF), a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 700 families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. Their mission is:
To create a framework for reconciliation between the two peoples, understanding that any political peace agreement must include an infrastructure for the process of reconciliation. To work toward an end to violence and a just political solution. To influence public and political decision-makers to choose the path of peace over violence and war. To avoid using bereavement as justification for more violence.
As I reflected on the missions of these two organizations, I realized what makes them so urgent and so transformative: they challenge one of our most basic human instincts. When we are hurt, our instinct is often to retaliate, to respond to pain with more pain.
The Torah portion this week, Parshat Emor, includes a difficult and well-known passage:
וְאִישׁ כִּי־יִתֵּן מוּם בַּעֲמִיתוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה כֵּן יֵעָשֶׂה לּוֹ
שֶׁבֶר תַּחַת שֶׁבֶר עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן שֵׁן תַּחַת שֵׁן כַּאֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן מוּם בָּאָדָם כֵּן יִנָּתֶן בּוֹ
If anyone maims another, what was done shall be done in return:
fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The injury inflicted shall be inflicted in return (Leviticus 24:19-20).
The rabbis of our tradition wrestled deeply with this text and ultimately interpreted it not as a call to literal retribution, but as a mandate for just compensation, usually monetary. They understood that a society cannot sustain itself if it responds to every injury with reciprocal violence. They also recognized that responsibility must be taken when harm is caused.
But perhaps the Torah is also describing a natural human response: when we are wounded, we want to see the other suffer as we have. And yet, we are called to rise above instinct and build cycles of peace instead.
Sunday’s Walk for Peace was a powerful rejection of that instinct for revenge. Chaplain Clementina shared that homicide rates in Massachusetts have dropped over the years, in large part because of the Peace Institute’s work. Because of reconciliation, education, and a shared belief that peace is possible.
The same message of hope and transformation comes from the Parents Circle. I received an email this week introducing two new bereaved members: Hala Al-Bukhari, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, lost her sister and 33 family members in the war on Gaza; and Liat Atzili, an Israeli from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was held hostage in Gaza for 54 days, and the body of her husband, who was killed on October 7, remains in captivity. Today, both Hala and Liat share their stories in an act of solidarity and courage, turning their grief into a powerful call for peace.
So here is the question we must all ask: If they can do it, if those directly impacted by unimaginable loss can choose peace, can we?
Can we respond to hurt with compassion rather than revenge? Can we resist our instinct to retaliate and instead act with empathy, connection, and responsibility in our personal lives and in our political discourse?
Edan Alexander’s return after 584 days in captivity is a moment of profound relief. We pray for his healing and for the healing of his family. And we continue to cry out for the safe return of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza. At the same time, we also read in this week’s parasha, lo ta’amod al dam re’echa: we are commanded not to stand idly by the suffering of others. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza weighs heavily on our conscience. Even when wounds run deep, we are called to respond not with vengeance, but with humanity and responsibility.
May this Shabbat bring us peace, strength, and clarity.
May we find the courage to forgive, to heal, and to move forward.
May we know that we do not walk this journey alone, and that God’s presence dwells within each of us.
May God grant blessings and comfort to all of us and our loved ones.
May we discover strength, courage, and patience.
May our hearts remain open to generosity.
May those who are ill find healing.
May all remaining hostages return home soon.
May peace prevail, and may our leaders prioritize life.
May those working for peace be granted the strength and courage to continue their sacred work.
And may we soon witness peace and dignity for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Claudia