As part of the Rabbinical Assembly’s recent convention held in Israel, two U.S.-based rabbis shared their thoughts on the significance of their mission, the resilience of the Israeli people, and their personal connections to the IDF.
Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn of the Community Synagogue in Westport, Connecticut, and Rabbi Seth Adelson of Beth Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took time to reflect on their experiences.
Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn and Rabbi Seth Adelson speak about the mission in Israel
(Video: Lior Sharon)
Rabbi Adelson described the convention’s purpose as an opportunity for rabbis from around the world to come together, learn and support one another. “The Rabbinical Assembly has rabbis all over the world who gather annually. It’s held in different places, and it so happens that this is the first one we've done in Israel in a few years. It's good to see colleagues and learn together. And of course, this year, it was very important for us to be in Israel," he explained.
Rabbi Wiederhorn echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of solidarity after a challenging period following the October 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent war. “After the last 14 months in particular, to show our solidarity and love for our colleagues and for Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), being together this year, was particularly important,” he said.
Both rabbis share personal connections to the Israeli military, with children who have served in or are actively involved with the IDF.
“My son was just released from reserve duty three weeks ago. He was called back up for miluim (reserve duty) on October 7 and served four months near the Lebanese border. He's a medic and they released him and then they called him back a little bit before Rosh Hashanah, with what happened with Lebanon, and he's grateful to have been released once again,” Rabbi Adelson said.
Rabbi Wiederhorn highlighted his family’s connection to the IDF, sharing that both his daughter and son have ties to the Israeli military.
“My daughter, Maytal, made Aliyah six years ago, she served in the army and also was released a few years ago. [She] served as an (infantry instructor), training the combat soldiers, and she also was called up after October 7. She was administering emergency certifications on the border of Gaza. My son, Avi, just made Aliyah in August and he's in Garin Tzabar (a lone soldier program) and he's expecting to enlist shortly,” he shared.
Both rabbis emphasized the importance of carrying the lessons of this experience back to their respective communities in the United States.
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Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn with his daughter Maytal and son Avi
(Photo: Courtesy)
“It’s always a pleasure to be in Israel. It's been a very difficult time in America for the Jews. We've seen an uptick in antisemitic activity, and it's good to be here with our Israeli colleagues, but also to remind ourselves of the sense of Am Yisrael, the sense that we're all connected as a people. That's extraordinarily important at this time with the threats that Israel is facing, and of course, seeing all over the world in terms of antisemitism,” Rabbi Adelson said.
Rabbi Wiederhorn added that showing physical presence in Israel is a meaningful act of solidarity.
“The Israeli people are resilient, and it’s important to come and be here and ‘pray with our feet,’ as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said,” he explained. "It's really important for us in America and in the Diaspora to come and continue to support our brothers and sisters here in Israel."
The rabbis expressed gratitude for the opportunity to join the convention and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bond between Jewish communities worldwide and Israel.
As the interview concluded, both rabbis emphasized the power of unity and resilience in the face of shared challenges.