‘I’m not a regular shul-goer… but I just had to come to daven’

“I’m not a regular shul-goer,” said one of the attendees almost sheepishly after Monday night’s evening of solidarity with Israel, “but I just had to come here this evening to daven.”

He was speaking to my colleague after the moving evening of prayer we held at Kinloss Synagogue earlier this week in the presence of the Israeli ambassador and at which we heard powerful speeches from both the Chief Rabbi and the Prime Minister.

He captured the mood of the room. As I said on the night, we were there both to show support and to draw support from one another.

We were honoured and very grateful that the Prime Minister was able to reorganise his schedule to join us. Hearing him recognise that when Jews are under attack in Israel, Jews in this country feel less safe, and that his first duty is to protect us, was very reassuring for our community.

I am proud that we could put together such a significant occasion so quickly and that so many people who joined us at Kinloss and online have told us how much it helped them, only a day after emerging from the chaggim.

The crisis continues, though, and, sadly, it looks like Israel will be in need of our prayers, our support and our tzedakah for many weeks to come. The amount of life lost is impossible to comprehend. The pain of the grieving families is impossible to bear. And the sleepless nights, the unimaginable stress of so many who don’t know where their loved ones are, is impossible to fathom. We are in shock.

Throughout this week, United Synagogue communities – along with many other shuls – have come together to reflect on the tragic events and on the hundreds who have been murdered in cold blood and all those taken hostage.

Regular shul-goers or not, we have prayed in our tens of thousands.

In the words of our Acheinu prayer, “may God have compassion and lead them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, and from oppression to freedom, now, swiftly and soon.”

Jo Grose is the Chief Executive of the United Synagogue