My Dear Fellow Jews: Where Are You?

Today in synagogue, the speaker offered a profound reflection on the very first question in the Torah. After Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they heard G-d’s presence in the Garden and hid. G-d called out, “Where are you?”

The query was not a request for Adam’s physical location. It was, and still is, a question of conscience—an eternal call that echoes across generations. It asks each of us: Where are you in your life? Who have you become? Where are you going?

On Rosh Hashanah, G-d poses this question anew. Like Adam and Eve, we too have stumbled, and at times we try to hide our shortcomings. G-d does not ask because He does not know—He asks so that we will confront ourselves. We are accountable for our choices, our actions, and our silence.

This season of reflection is not only about private growth. It is about how we live as Jews within our people. Real transformation requires channeling our self-awareness into action—strengthening our community, defending Israel, combating antisemitism, and living by the values of Torah.

In my mind, the question “Where are you?” has never been more urgent, especially now, nearly two years after the horrors of October 7th and amid an alarming surge of global antisemitism. The massacre in Israel and its aftermath revealed not only Israel’s vulnerabilities but also the moral test before the Jewish people. We no longer have the luxury of complacency or division. Unity is our shield. Zionism is part of our lifeblood. Moral clarity is our compass.

And yet, we must also face a painful truth: some of our own brothers and sisters have chosen to stand with Israel’s enemies. We see Jews marching beside pro-Hamas protesters chanting “From the River to the Sea,” a call for Israel’s destruction. We hear Jewish voices repeating Hamas’s propaganda of “occupation,” “apartheid,” and “genocide.” We see calls for boycotts and sanctions—directed not at our enemies, but at our own people. We witness support for politicians who openly align with pro-Hamas rhetoric. We have to face a difficult truth that such extremism and hate isn’t really about having a “conscience,” but rather just wanting to fit in with the crowd.

Here, too, G-d’s question resounds: Where are you? Where are you when Jewish children are afraid to wear a yarmulke or Star of David to school? Where are you when Israeli families bury their loved ones murdered by terrorists? Where are you when hostages languish in Gaza? Where are you when the Jewish people need strength, solidarity, and faith?

And it is not only individuals who must answer. G-d will hold accountable those who spread or enable the hateful propaganda of Hamas terrorists—propaganda that demonizes Israel and the Jewish people with modern-day blood libels. Politicians, the media, academics, Hollywood, and the music industry—those who lend their platforms to lies and hatred—are not exempt. Just as Adam could not hide in the Garden, neither can they hide from truth or responsibility.

We may disagree on policies, and we may debate government actions and inaction, but standing with the Jewish people and the State of Israel is not optional—it is existential. To side with those who spread antisemitic propaganda and seek Israel’s destruction is not conscience; it is betrayal. As G-d called to Adam, He calls to us: Do not hide. Stand up. Be counted.

This Rosh Hashanah, let us answer with clarity:

• We will not be idle in the face of hate and terror.
• We will not hide our Jewish identity.
• We will not allow propaganda to replace truth.
• We will not abandon Israel or our people.

Instead, we will strengthen ourselves through Torah, mitzvot, and deeds of kindness. We will raise our voices against antisemitism and in defense of Israel. We will teach our children to be proud Jews. We will be united, courageous, and faithful.

As we enter the year 5786, G-d’s question reverberates: “Where are you?” Let our answer be strong, proud, and unwavering: We are here. We are Jews. We are united. We stand with our people, our Torah, and our land. We will never again hide, and we will never again turn away.