Tonight, I did something I never did before: enter a Jewish synagogue (Temple Chai) for a Pro-Israel Rally. I took my camera with me, hoping that I could take a couple of snapshots during the event, but when I got there, I found that the light levels would be way too low, even if I pushed the ISO to 800.
That being said, I also felt this profoundness that this place was indeed Holy Ground. So I simply packed the camera away. I also exchanged a few words of greeting with a Rabbi who sat close to me. He thanked me for attending.
When this solemn event began, prayers were offered in both Hebrew and English; although I couldn’t understand the Hebrew part, I, a Gentile, prayed alongside the thousand or so Jewish people in attendance. When they said “Amen,” so did I. It was a whole lot safer sitting and praying with a Jewish congregation, an experience vastly different than the ”Valley of the Shadow of Death” I endured four years ago. At the end of the one-hour event, everyone put their arms around each other and swayed from side to side while singing a Jewish song.
My friends, Israel is on the front lines in this fight we joined in earnest only five short years ago. It is vital that we, the American People, stand with them in this time of trial.
And tonight, for the first time, I truly stood with them as well.