Dear Friends,

We do not yet know each other. Technically, my first day as Judaism Unbound’s Executive Director is this coming Monday. Yet, even without knowing one another, part of us knows the spark of the other—the same spark of connection that draws us to the work of an unbounded Jewish life.

I look forward to a time soon when we can discuss our collective vision for the next Jewish future. There will be time for that in the coming months. For today, I want to speak to you from the heart about the moment that we are in.

Our hearts may be unbounded, but they still have all sorts of tethers in the world. One tether is family. Another is love. And yet another is belonging. . Hundreds more lines of connection root us as humans. Yet, the plaintive call of communal belonging reverberates loudly right now amidst the massacre in Israel and the mounting humanitarian crisis and loss of civilian life in Palestine. This is the cry of lament, like we have done for centuries, in psalms and in history books, and right now, too. A lament that stems from a place of deep horror about the capacity for inhumanity in humans. Lament not just for our pain, but for the suffering of all people who struggle to hope for a different future.

לבי במזרח
Libi b’mizrakh
يهوذا اللاوي

My heart is in the East.

East: with innocent Israeli families who grieve.

East: with innocent Palestinian families who grieve.

East: where the Sun always rises, shining its light onto us, even as those of us all around the world in diaspora(s) grieve.

Know at this moment, wherever you are as you read this, that your lament is shared and that you are connected to something larger than yourself. This is part of the Judaism Unbound mission, to allow Judaism to expand our minds and hearts, remind us of our shared humanity, and foster a more just world for all. In the coming weeks, look for ways to learn, listen and lament with your Judaism Unbound community.

These next days and weeks will continue to reveal more suffering. It is my hope that you can carve out space to create an opening for a renewed sense of possibility. Build solidarity with loved ones committed to justice. Care for yourself with challah and wine or Netflix or nature. Remind yourself that the Jewish people are inherently hopeful people, believing at our core that we are all agents for the change that we want to see in this world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Miriam Terlinchamp

Executive Director, Judaism Unbound