Despite rabbi's murder, UAE, Israel still unyielding allies

Beyond the headlines: A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

By SIVAN RAHAV MEIR NOVEMBER 24, 2024 20:21 Updated: NOVEMBER 24, 2024 20:26

(L) The Kedem family and (R) newborn baby Kedem Tzuri. (photo credit: sivanrahavmeir.com)

Chabad emissary Rabbi Tzvi Kogan Hy”d was murdered in the Emirates. Videos circulating all over the media show him helping a fellow Jew put on tefillin, warmly embracing another Jewish person – and all with a bright smile.

Rabbi Kogan did so many good deeds and mitzvahs; the video shows just one minute of a life tragically cut short. Let's add more mitzvahs to fill this great void.

The dedicated activity of Kogan and his fellow Chabad emissaries in the UAE expresses Jewish pride and our connection to our traditions. Our Jewish identity is the basis for our two nations' trust and mutual admiration.  It is this mutual respect that our enemies seek to destroy.

Our peace treaty is called the Abraham Accords after our patriarch Abraham, the founder of our nation, whose teachings are a source of inspiration and blessing for the entire world. Whoever is on our side is blessed and will ultimately emerge victorious. As we read in the Torah portion two weeks ago, God said to Abraham: “And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse the one who curses you. And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”

Rabbi Zvi Kogan during his IDF service. (credit: Courtesy)

A Special Brit Milah

On Simchat Torah, a brave officer who dashed off to rescue his Jewish brothers and sisters in Kibbutz Nir Oz arrived too late to save the Kedem family.

This week, the officer (whose name can’t be shared due to his position in the IDF) celebrated the brit milah of his newborn son. He named the baby Kedem Tzuri in memory of the family that perished at the hands of the Hamas terrorists.

The father wrote: “On Oct. 7, we broke into the houses in Kibbutz Nir Oz, but sadly, there were many we could not rescue.  The first house we entered was that of the Kedem-Siman Tov family. Five pure souls were blotted out — an entire family was lost to our people.

“Now with the birth and naming of my son, I feel that I personally have come full circle. Kedem [east, in Hebrew] Tzuri [my rock or my God, in Hebrew] will forever fix his gaze towards the light that illuminates the skies each morning from the east, perpetuating the Kedem family name.”

A Torah Scroll Restored in Memory of Keshet Casarotti

Keshet Casarotti became one of the symbols of the Nova Festival. This is what his mother, Natalia, wrote to me:

“What does a left-wing kibbutznik like me have to do with a Torah dedication ceremony? It’s because of my son, Keshet. Keshet drew closer to Judaism during the last two years of his life. He put on tefillin, memorized the ten psalms of the Tikkun Klali, and tried to observe Shabbat.

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“On the evening of Simchat Torah, October 6, 2023, Keshet danced in the streets of Tel Aviv, holding the Torah scroll from the Bnei David shul. Everyone who saw him that evening spoke of the light radiating from his face, the immense joy he exuded. Later on, Keshet went to the Nova Festival with Shani Louk, Orion Hernandez, and other friends. They never returned.

“Over the past year, I’ve done various things in Keshet’s memory. Although I am staunchly secular, over the past year, I found myself lighting Shabbat candles, fasting on Yom Kippur for the first time in my life, and, most significantly, taking part in a project that takes damaged or invalid Torah scrolls, and repairs and restores them, giving them new life.

“I connected with this project primarily from an ecological and ideological perspective—nothing is discarded; everything is repurposed. A Torah scroll that has lived a full life and served a community faithfully for decades is renewed and brought to a new home. This project is open to other bereaved families interested in this kind of commemoration.

“The cover for the Torah scroll is made of embroidered squares that I, along with an incredible group of women, sewed together in memory of Keshet. The wood for the rollers comes from trees burned on the morning of October 7 in the Gaza border communities.

“So much symbolism, so much continuity, so much life within — and despite — the death.

“This week, the Torah scroll will be brought to the same synagogue in Tel Aviv where Keshet danced on Simchat Torah. I’ve never been to a Torah dedication ceremony before. From all the preparations, I understand it’s a big event. The journey I’ve gone through from the moment I chose to take part in this project until its completion has brought me closer to Keshet and, in some way, also closer to my roots and Judaism.

“Dear God, if I’m already drawing closer, please send our people home! Release the hostages now, protect the soldiers, return everyone to their families — and make peace among us!”

In Memory of Zvi Kogan Hy”d

Translated by Yehoshua Siskin, Janine Muller Sherr

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