Rabbi Andrea's BNJC Vigil Sermon 3rd January 2025 / 3rd of Tevet 5785

We are Far Right. You are Far Right. I am Far Right. 

And why are we Far Right? We are here because we pray for the liberation of the hostages. And by doing so, we are (worse of the crimes, apparently) "binary". 

We should, you know, trust the goodwill of Hamas and perhaps press the Israelis so that they accept Hamas's conditions, even if Hamas does not even know where the hostages are because they have sold them as cattle and they have lost track, 

I, of course, consider it offensive to be called Far Right; I grew up in a Country where the Far Right were nostalgic about Mussolini. The Far Right are people who hate everything they do not understand, so they hate a lot of people, especially the Jews. Indeed, in the 60s, the Far Right introduced the Palestinian cause to the attention of public opinion.

But things have changed, and today, the Far Right are not the skinheads and other militants with their macabre uniforms. No, today, the Far Right are those like us who pray for the survival of Israel and of the Jewish people. 

It is offensive and painful to be called a racist or a genocide supporter when the only aspiration you have is for Israelis and Palestinians to get along and for all the people and religions in the Middle East to live and thrive next to each other in peace and harmony. 

It's horrible when friends, or rather former friends, turn against you and call you a warmonger when the only thing you want is peace—and indeed, think about it—the most famous Hebrew word is shalom. So many of our prayers include the word shalom. We always pray for Shalom and for peace. 

It's not only politics. When they call you Far Right, it is because you have become a pariah, an untouchable, someone to socially isolate. Your voice, perspective, and feelings simply do not count, must not be listened to, or must not be considered.

It's not politics. When they label you as Far Right, they dehumanise you. You become less worthy. Less human. This has sadly happened to too many of us over the last months. 

Social exclusion. We thought that our values -social justice, inclusion, peace, shalom- naturally placed us in a community of good, idealistic people. But to that community, we do not belong anymore. For the crime of being here, of praying and longing for the liberation of Jews kept captives by a totalitarian fundamentalist patriarchal cult. 

In these weeks, we read the story of Joseph and his brothers in the synagogue. Tomorrow, we will read the moving passage of the reconciliation. This momentous event happens because Joseph acknowledges that his brothers and half-brothers have changed; now, they care for each other. 

And how does Joseph come to this crucial realisation? Because his brother refuses to leave the youngest, Benyamin, as a captive and a slave. 

It is a powerful concept. Nowadays, we take the idea that human beings can change, learn from their mistakes, and morally improve for granted. But 4000 years ago, it was a revolution. 

We Jews have led that revolution. We Jews were the first to show that human beings can change and become better. 

The brothers' care for each other made the change. They refused to leave one of them as a prisoner (as was common in similar situations); this was evidence that their nature had changed. 

How things do not change. Those days, the expectation was for the brothers to concede the request. To leave Benyamin in the hands of the Egyptians. It pains our hearts, but we have seen this thing happening recently in Afghanistan, people leaving their children in the hands of the Taliban.

These things happen.

But this is not what we do. We do not leave one of us in the hands of the enemy. We want their liberation. And so, we are here to pray, cry, and share our request. The freedom and liberation of Tsachi and the other hostages. We demand this because we are the descendants of Yehuda, who a long time ago said to the Egyptian ruler, "No, don't take Benyamin; don't take the youngest among us; our father would not survive the loss of another child". 

Today, the pressure—let me repeat it—is the same. The general culture around us expects us to give up on our request and not to be "binary." 

Let the international bodies negotiate. Let the United Nations, the Red Cross, or similar international bodies take care of the hostages, negotiate and liberate thousands of terrorists... 

However, we have many good reasons not to trust the contemporary equivalent of the Egyptian Empire and bureaucracy. We look at the list of their failures. It's a long list. How often did they fail to protect the Jews -especially in the Middle East. 

None of those people, nor the Red Cross, nor the United Nations, have visited the hostages or effectively pressured Hamas and its sponsor. We don't trust them and for many good reasons. So, we continue to demand the liberation of Tsachi and of the other hostages today, like every week, here at the BNJC. Every evening in Palmeira Square and in every place and moment we can, we won't be silenced, we will never shut up, we will continue to demand. 

And if they call us Far Right for this, for caring for each other as we Jews do since the time when Joseph was in Egypt, well, that is their problem. They should do better on their Bible homework!

We continue to fight, and we continue to pray. 

May the liberation of the captives come very soon and let us say Amen. 

Rabbi Dr. Andrea Zanardo, PhD