While we have your attention, Iād like to point out that while we are here preparing for a stupid basketball game, our friends and family in Israel are going back and forth to bomb shelters multiple times a day as Iran and Hezbollah fire rockets indiscriminately at civilian populations.
Take a minute out of your day and pray for their safety and victory.
Thank you.
Yesterday, our OU family came together for heartfelt hespedim in memory of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, ztāl ā our beloved leader, mentor, and friend whose wisdom, warmth, and devotion touched every person he encountered.
Amidst this gathering of reflection and remembrance, our President Mitchel Aeder, EVP and COO Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, Womenās Initiative Director Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman, OU Kosher COO Rabbi Moshe Elefant, and Managing Director of Community Engagement Rabbi Yaakov Glasser shared deeply meaningful hespedim reflecting on Rabbi Hauer, ztālās lifelong dedication to Klal Yisrael, devotion to learning and sharing Torah, and the genuine care he showed for every individual.
With wisdom, courage, and an unwavering sense of purpose, Rabbi Hauer, ztāl uplifted those around him and carried the challenges facing Am Yisrael with humility, always working to pave a path towards unity. His voice offered guidance, and his steady presence inspired confidence and hope.
May his memory be a blessing, and may the values he lived and shared continue to guide us.
Guiding messages from Rabbi Moshe Hauer, ztāl, devoted guardian of the Jewish people, passionate teacher of Torah, and powerful voice for unity in Klal Yisrael. May we carry on his timeless messages, heartfelt vision, and the values he lived and inspired in all of us.
Thanks so much @dunkindonuts, but you werenāt the first to wish me a happy birthday, @Starbucks beat you by a day :)
More importantly they still give a birthday drink instead of 3x points on spending
#HappyBirthdayToMe
Some very not hot takes-
1- These words are as true now as they were then
2- Our world and community need leaders (or even just one) who have the wisdom AND courage Rabbi Lamm did.
2a- Where are they?
3- I miss Dr. Lamm (and our walks) but am so grateful I knew him
@AriLamm
āPerhaps it is for this reason that in Yiddish, a wealthy man of decent instincts is often called a gevir, a word which is derived from gevura, meaning heroism and strengthā¦
a quality of graciousness and generosity. This is true heroism, true gevura. This kind of man is never nouveau riche; he is a true gevir.ā
- Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm
June 16, 1962
https://t.co/oSGi6WqukY Parshat Naso: A Jewish Definition of Power | Everyday Jewish Living | OU Press
āEven when our hearts are broken, we are still unstoppableā
A warning to the enemies of the Jewish people.
He said this at the funereal of his week-old-baby who sadly died after enduring injuries during an attack by birth.
Itās been 600 days too long.
Our brothers and sisters are still being held hostage.
Our homeland is still at war.
Our soldiers are still fighting for our freedom.
We havenāt moved on. We canāt.
This isnāt over. Not for them. Not for us.
Watch as our team members share their personal reflections. Each of us has our own story ā but weāre united by one goal: to bring them all home.
Today we get to play a basketball game. Itās fun. Itās competitive. Itās not real life.
Real life is the 24 hostages still presumed alive being held by terrorists in Gaza.
Want to do something useful today?
Pray for their safe return home.
No, it wasnāt a called play.
No, it wasnāt great shot selection.
But, sometimes you need to let your players be better players than you are a coach.
Iāve been lucky to have these kinds of players often enough to not get in the way.
š In Kfirās Eyes.
A new awareness video, produced with advanced technology, illustrates the kidnapping event and the horrors of captivity through the eyes of Kfir Bibas, a 9-month-old redhead baby who was kidnapped and murdered along with his 4-year-old brother and their mother, Shiri Bibas.
The video is an awareness campaign for the world, showing the murderous actions of the Hamas terrorist organization and issuing a call to the international community not to close their eyes
It aims to remind the world that Hamas is ISIS.
The video is an initiative of the Israeli Congress and the high-tech headquarters, produced by Screen Post Productions.
We hope and pray that all our brothers and sisters will return home soon safely š .
The video was approved by the dear Bibas family, and we send a big hug to Yarden and the entire family. šā¤ļø
OU Statement on the Hostage Deal:
God brings theĀ isolatedĀ home,Ā sets free those held captive with weeping and with song. (Psalm 68:7; Sanhedrin 22a)
After close to 500 days of the unimaginable darkness of captivity, this long-awaited day leaves us with a confused jumble of feelings.
We rejoice with the hostages who are being released,Ā and we weep with thoseĀ remaining in the hands of the Hamas monsters.
We rejoice with theĀ hostageĀ families reunited with their loved ones, and we weep with the many left waiting.
We rejoice with the soldiersĀ able toĀ returnĀ to their families, homes,Ā andĀ dailyĀ lives, andĀ weĀ weepĀ for thoseĀ who will not.
We rejoice with those whoseĀ heroic sacrifices have brought Israel outstanding successes, and we share the frustration of many of them that their missionĀ remains incomplete.
We are infuriated by the trading of monstrous terrorists for innocent hostages, and we are fearful of the evil those monsters seek to unleash.
WeĀ are grateful that the new administration worked with the old to bring theĀ necessaryĀ pressureĀ to bear on Hamas, but we are incensed thatĀ the worldĀ has allowedĀ thisĀ to go on for so long.
We are grateful to President Trump forĀ moving quickly toĀ bring freedom to many, but weĀ willĀ not forget for even a moment the many who remain.
There should still be hell to pay.