Watch: A Message From Jerusalem

10 May 2021

A video message from OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer:

Read a transcript of the video:

Shalom Aleichem,

Greetings from Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh where we had the privilege to arrive this afternoon, on Yom Yerushalayim; on the day that commemorates the reunion of the Jewish people with Yerushalayim.

Today has been quite a day here in Yerushalayim. To see the hundreds, the thousands of young people coming, coming with their Israeli flags, coming joyous, coming to celebrate, to celebrate beautifully, with song, and with walking the streets of Yerushalayim.

And then, to have to run to a cheder atum, to a sealed room, because of the sounding of air raid sirens in the middle of this historic day.

Struggles, skirmishes are ongoing as you all know and as you all hear; here in Eretz Yisrael, far away from where we are here in Yerushalayim, but with tentacles that reach here.

And as the Jewish people, we must always make our efforts of tefillah, of prayer. We pray for peace, we pray that Hashem give strength, wisdom, and effectiveness to the chayalim, to the soldiers of the IDF who defend the land, to do what needs to be done and to bring this to a quick end.

We pray that Hashem will give eitzah tova, good counsel and wisdom, to the leaders of the country to lead us forward from and through this great difficulty.

We are reminded of the words of Tehillim: רבת שכנה לה נפשי עם שונא שלום , we’ve spent so much time, our souls living amongst those who despise peace, אני שלום וכי אדבר המה למלחמה, we are peace, we strive for peace, and even as we speak of this, others plan and try to wage war.

Klal Yisrael, the Jewish people, will always strive, will always yearn, will always sing, and will pray, for peace, for shlom Yerushalayim.

May it be granted to us soon, in our day, Amen.