This is written in the U.S. Our registration for the World Zionist Organization election and our voting dates  via the Canadian Zionist Federation are coming up soon.  We hope every Jew in Canada over the age of 18 takes the opportunity to vote for Reform candidates who will work for a return to the values on which Israel was founded. Temple Shalom will be posting further information on this very important election.   Apirl 24, 2025 – כ״ז נִיסָן תשפ”ה This Shabbat, we find ourselves in between two important and deeply meaningful days on our Jewish and Israeli calendar. The Shabbat, between Yom HaShoah and Yom HaAtzmaut has been designated as a “special” Shabbat coined “Shabbat Tekumah” – “The Shabbat of Revival.” This “revival” represents the dramatic turn from the tragedy of the Holocaust to the realization of the dream of a Jewish state. Shabbat Tekuma echoes the 20th-century paradigm of disaster to renewal – from the Holocaust to the establishment of the State of Israel – thus creating meaningful national and theological moments with which we mark modern events. We add this special Shabbat to the list of special Shabbatot (e.g., “Shabbat Zachor,” “Shabbat HaGadol,” “Shabbat Shuva,” etc.…) as a modern contribution to our Jewish calendar weaving in the greatest catastrophe of modern Jewish history – the Holocaust – and the greatest of miracles and achievement of modern Jewish history, namely the establishment of the State of Israel. This year, Shabbat Tkuma will take on a different tone. This year, for a second year in a row, we will mark the emotional roller coaster of these days while Israel is still at war and 59 hostages remain languishing in Gaza.  The term Tkuma is now also associated with what is deemed the “Tkuma Region” which encompasses the Gaza envelop Kibbutzim that were ravaged on October 7. The parallel of the Israeli narrative of “Shoah L’Tkumah” (from Holocaust to Revival) is from October 7 to rebuilding and revival. The trauma of this day has often been compared to the collective trauma of the Holocaust, but on a smaller scale. The difference is that we now have a state. We now have power, which makes it more complicated. In this moment between mourning our utter vulnerability and celebrating our sovereignty, we can feel both vulnerable and resilient. There are moments that we are screaming out to the world about the atrocities that were committed, and that the world is against us, and there may be moments when we feel uncomfortable with how our power is being wielded. The Tkuma Directorate was established by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision on October 19, 2023. It leads the efforts to revive the TKUMA region and how we are collectively working to rebuild the structures that were destroyed, enabling people to return to their homes and begin the unparalleled challenge of rebuilding their lives. The other difference this year is that Shabbat Tkuma marks the final week of voting for our Reform Movement in the World Zionist Congress elections. This moment is about how the Jewish people collectively rise up from the ashes of death and destruction, to focus on returning our people home, and looking to the future. This moment is about us, as Diaspora Jews, having a voice. This moment is about helping to shape the kind of Israel we want to see, and the founders of the State envisioned that. When we mourn the high price paid for having a Jewish State and we celebrate all that it has accomplished, we know that we are partners in building the future. We understand that a strong Diaspora voice is deeply needed as Israel approaches this next chapter of its existence. We are calling on everyone right now! There is one thing you can do for Israel on Yom Ha’atzmaut: Vote. We have all been doing so much in Israel and around the world to support Israel and to support those on the ground fighting to release the hostages and to stand up for our values. Now we are asking you not only to vote, but also to reach out to your friends, family, and everyone in your contacts, communities, and networks.[1] These seven days between Yom HaShoah and Yom Haatzmaut can be juxtaposed with the ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. They thus serve a similar purpose to the Yamim HaNoraim that we call “Shivat Yemai Teudah” (“Seven Days of Bearing Witness. During the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, we each conduct our own accounting and introspection (Heshbon HaNefesh). During the Shivat Yemai Teudah, “National” days of remembrance, we use this week as an opportunity to reflect collectively and on a national level, undergoing a collective Heshbon HaNefesh. For many of us, it feels as though we have been doing one big national Jewish Heshbon HaNefesh for the last two and a half years – first, when the threats to democracy caused a massive societal crisis, and now since October 7, 2023 when our world was turned upside down, when we were more vulnerable than ever before, and when we cannot, as Jews, agree on fundamental questions and priorities. Yesterday, I spoke out against Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir during his visit to New York. I did so because Itamar Ben Gvir represents a distorted version of Judaism that is trying to take over Israel. He lionizes violence, champions racism, and jettisons the rule of law, which is ironic for the minister with oversight over the police. His blatant disregard for democratic principles and his boastful elation at ending the ceasefire at the expense of 59 of his people should render him unfit to serve in this lofty position, and there is no question that he should not be given a platform or an audience in the United States. Yom Haatzmaut is the time to speak out for our Jewish values of peace, security, compassion, and democracy. Holocaust survivor Zvi Gil z”l, first shared the “The Survivors’ Declaration” at the closing ceremony of an international conference held at Yad Vashem about “The Legacy of Holocaust Survivors: The Moral and Ethical Implications for Humanity,” in 2002. In this declaration, they emphasized that: “The Shoah, which established the benchmark for absolute evil, is the universal heritage of all civilized persons. The lessons of the Holocaust must become a cultural code for teaching human values, for democracy, human rights, and tolerance, and for countering racism and totalitarian ideologies.” Now, we rise up.  We rise up and make our voices heard in the Jewish State and share that lesson far and wide. Now we rise up to stand up against forces that actively prevent the return of the hostages and are trying to reshape Israel to be less tolerant, less accepting, less free, less peaceful, less democratic, and ultimately less Jewish. Now we rise up to rebuild, revive, and reinvigorate our brand of Reform and liberal Zionism. Rise up with us and VOTE REFORM in the World Zionist elections before May 4th! Shabbat Shalom.