We are still standing strong

I have been searching for the right words to capture my feelings after all we have been through since 7 October. And then it came to me. It’s the soul-stirring opening line of the final parsha of the year that we read on this Shabbat, days before Rosh Hashanah: “You are all standing strong here today before G-d.”

The verse uses the word “nitzavim” for the verb “to stand”, which implies to stand with strength. According to the great Torah commentator Rashi, this is G-d’s promise to the Jewish people that we will never be destroyed. We will endure throughout history; no matter the great difficulties and challenges and calamities we face – we will still be standing strong in the end.

And we are still standing strong, thank G-d. Doesn’t that say it all? It’s now almost one year since the 7 October massacre, the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. That day shook the Jewish people to the core. But we remain standing. Proud, strong, defiant, more determined than ever. After everything we’ve been through – the trauma of the attack, the losses in the ensuing war, the painful plight of the hostages, the rockets and missiles from Hezbollah and Iran, the horrific antisemitism that has been unearthed and targeted at Jewish communities across the world in the aftermath – we’re still here.

Looking back at this past year, it’s staggering what Israel has weathered. We stand in awe of the heroism of the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for fighting a gruelling war – now on two fronts – and in unimaginably difficult circumstances, with more care for civilian casualties than in any armed conflict in history. We bow in humble tribute before the grief of the bereaved families, whose brave loved ones have fallen in battle to defend Israel from bloodthirsty barbarians, and thereby make our world a safer place for all.

The pain of the hostage families in particular is indescribable after many months of not knowing where their loved ones are or what is happening to them. The heart of every Jew is with those families. And with those whose family members were slaughtered in cold blood by their captives.

But it goes beyond the physical threat. In the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, Jewish communities have been on the receiving end of poisonous antisemitic rhetoric emanating from street and university protests, with antisemitic incidents surging to the point where, in many places, outward signs of Jewishness are considered a risk.

Here in South Africa, while we have been blessed with some of the lowest rates of antisemitism in the world, our community has had to contend with a government that sided with violent regimes and terror groups that make no secret of their genocidal intent towards Israel; a government that has levelled a modern blood libel against the Jewish state at international forums such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

But, through it all, we “are all standing strong here today before G-d”. This means that our strength comes from our connection to Hashem; knowing that He is always with us, and will continue to be with us, every step of the way, especially in times of crisis. No matter how difficult things get, we are never alone.

Ultimately, to “stand before G-d” also means to live authentically, standing firm with a clear conscience, being true to our most sacred values. And I think we can take great pride as a community in doing exactly that – every day since 7 October we have stood firm and unapologetically in our support for the justice of the cause of the state of Israel, and her brave soldiers and people. We have gathered as a community with pride and dignity, strength and resilience, to pray, to rally for the brave soldiers of the IDF, to express love and support for the hostages, to protest, to make our voices heard.

We’ve stared down the African National Congress (ANC) in the face of its unconscionable stance on Israel and the shameless way it has sided with our enemies. In the process of our defiance, we’ve seen off a particularly hateful foreign minister, who lost her seat in Parliament and her position in the Cabinet, and watched the ANC reap the whirlwind as it haemorrhaged support in the recent elections, losing its national majority.

Let us resolve to continue standing strong together in unity before Hashem, resolute and confident. And in this merit, may Hashem bless our special community, our brothers and sisters in Israel, and all of Am Yisrael, and indeed all humanity, with a new year of peace and safety for all.

• Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein is the chief rabbi of South Africa.