HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — ‘Give hope to Israel,’ ‘world peace’ and ‘freedom’ are just a few prayers written on a wall by young members of Temple B’nai Sholom, but a message shared by the entire congregation.
“It was an impossible dream for a lot of people,” B’nai Sholom Rabbi PJ Schwartz said.
Monday morning, hostages held by both Hamas and Israel were released back to their homes, a step forward toward peace after over two years of fighting. Temple B’nai Sholom believes that action is a light in the darkness.
“We can take a breath,” Rabbi Schwartz said. “And this doesn’t necessarily mean that we can automatically be in a place where there is peace and resolution. But we have made a big step in which we can fervently hope that there is a road towards true peace.”
As the Rabbi and his congregation eagerly await a formal end to the war, he wants closure for the families who lost their loved ones in the fighting.
“Hostages are being returned home, where families are being reunited,” Rabbi Schwartz said. “And, hopefully, in the near future, those bodies are also found and returned so families can truly mourn and experience that grief.”
When asking the Rabbi about his hopes for the future once the conflict ends, he says that is an easy answer.
“A world in which we can walk hand-in-hand together,” Rabbi Schwartz said. “It’s not darkness that drives out darkness. It’s not hate that drives out hate. It’s the ability to find love and compassion in dignity in everything and anything that we do.”
Rabbi Schwartz said the Jewish faith has just started a new year, which fits perfectly with the hope for new beginnings.
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