The Speech I did NOT give ....

I didn't like the speech I wrote, so I just sorta winged it at the Hachnasas Sefer Torah. I was told it was good and I should share it. So here it is in all it's "glory".

Normally, it is a child who marks the passing yartzeits of a parent. For what ever reason, Hashem has chosen to flip the order, and here we are marking the 18^th yartzeit of Yossi a’h. Hindsight is always 20-20. Looking back, I see what a unique and special child he was. While he was alive, I thought of him as a regular child. He was kind and sweet and loving, but he was just Yossi. There are many metaphors that explain the concept of when Hashem sends challenges, like “you squeeze an olive to get oil”. Our forefather Avraham went through 10 tests. One of the reasons was to show the world and Avraham himself his true greatness. I see this with the challenges that Yossi went through. He faced difficulties that many adults would buckle under, and yet, he accepted each one with love. It’s been said many times that Yossi rarely complained about his fate in life. He showed grace and courage while facing these hardships, never losing his precious smile or hope for his future. Even as a toddler, Yossi was exceptional. I remember coming into shul and hearing the other little preschool kids call out excitedly, “YOSSI IS HERE!” Not only did Yossi love everyone, but he was loved by everyone too. My neighbor Hilda said “Yossi used to come to my house. He would sit by the counter and we would discuss the issues of the world.” Yossi, a young boy, and Hilda, a holocaust survivor, and yet, they were friends. Yossi was so brave. The bone marrow unit had a Survivor’s Day, and Yossi was asked to speak at it. He had the courage to stand up in front of 200 people and talk his transplant experience. Yossi was a sensitive and caring. He had this knack for knowing when I was down and needed a hug.

Yossi was a giant, and yet, he was just a boy. He loved to draw and play football and especially to spend time with his friends.

Yossi had a lot of “best friends”. He was very close with a lot of other kids. However, there is one person with whom I think Yossi had a very special connection with. Yonatan and Yossi were always close. They first met when we moved down here, I am thinking when the kids were about 18 months old. Yonatan was Yossi’s first “real” friend. The boys joy knew no bounds when we moved a few doors down from them. They were always back and forth between the two houses. This was back in the days when it was safe to send the kids outside to play by themselves. As Yonatan mentioned, they built incredible forts and snowmen when we had a few of our bigger storms. They walked to and from school with Goldie and Don. When Yossi got sick, Yonatan stood by him. After his first transplant, Yossi was not allowed near other children, to prevent infection. It didn’t matter. Stuart brought Yonatan and Don to my in laws house where he was staying every single shabbos. They would talk through the glass storm door. The very last event Yossi participated in here in Richmond was Yonatan’s bar mitzvah. The boys all lined up on the stage, and were singing songs with Rabbi Sherman. Yossi was thrilled for his best friend. He didn’t have a drop of worry about the next day, when we were leaving for MN. It wasn’t that he was oblivious to what was going to happen. It was Yossi being Yossi … he was truly happy for his best friend.

Two and half years ago, when I decided to launch this campaign, Yonatan jumped right on board. Emotionally, this has been such a crazy experience. The excitement at seeing the project completed, yet the pain of knowing why it was being done. What gave me comfort through was seeing how much Yonatan loves Yossi. I saw it in his eyes when we spoke about him. I saw it when he wrote to various people explaining the campaign and why it was so special to him. For these past two years, Yonatan has given me something not many have in the last 18 years … he shared Yossi with me with the same intensity that I feel for him. And for that Yonatan, there are not enough words to say thank you. His dedication to this project was endless, as was his time. I’ve often said, this is as much your Sefer Torah as it is mine.

Why did I feel the need to have a Sefer Torah written for Yossi, on his 18^th yartzeit? The Torah itself is compared to many things. One of the things Torah is compared to is water. And just like water gives life, so too does Torah. Rabbi Akiva taught that just like a fish can’t live without water, so too a Jew can not live without Torah. For many years I dreaded the idea of an 18^th yartzeit. How could we have it when 18 is Chai and a yartzeit is marking the passing of someone? The two were like oil and water in my mind. If life is so important, then why do we “celebrate” a yartzeit, an anniversary of a person’s passing? The answer is surprisingly simple. It’s because only after a person passes away, do we see the true impact of their life. While a person is alive, they may be a good influence on others. It is more noticeable though by the giant void a person leaves behind. The bigger the impact, the bigger the void.

Over the years, a lot of people have reached out to me to tell me what an impact Yossi a’h has made on their lives. While most of the people are ones who knew and loved him, it continues to amaze the number of people who never knew him while he was alive who are deeply moved by him. You can see some of the comments people have made. Judy Lessin recently said to me:

“What a beautiful child with a beautiful Neshama. Yossi has influenced so many of us during his life and throughout the last 18 years. What a zchus that is. He will always be in our hearts and minds. Think of it - how many people have that big of an impact on so many people.”

Last night, Adrienne Winkleman summed up today with this line – “You didn’t get to choose what happened to Yossi. You do get to choose what you do with it.”

Having this Sefer Torah dedicated in Yossi’s memory is eternal. The mitzvos that are done will stay here forever, long after I’m gone. Yossi will NEVER be forgotten.

Pain Shared is Pain Lessened

<note -- This blog post is one of the most difficult ones to write. I am having a very hard time putting my thoughts and feelings into words because they are so overwhelming.>

October 25, 2016; exactly 29 months ago is when I first announced:

I'M DOING IT

After almost 2 and a half years of planning, I finally saw this dream come true.  What a dream it was, and what an unbelievable day it was!

In life, we sometimes (lots of times, actually) have expectations. We have thoughts on what will make us happy ... our marriages, a job, kids, vacation, etc. When these expectations fall short, they leave us feeling sad and disappointed and searching for another way to find happiness or whatever we were searching for.  This was not one of those times. This was a time for me that far surpassed anything I had thought or dreamed of.  The only way I can think of to totally and accurately describe this weekend is as follows:

Imagine someone gave you a box of chocolates. You open it up expecting gourmet truffles and instead find each space is full of diamonds! That is what I got this weekend ... diamonds instead of chocolate.

I learned so much over the last 2 1/2 years working on this. I learned what a fantastic and loving friend Yossi had in Yonatan. I learned what a phenomenal young man he has grown into, someone who is so much wiser than his years. I have deep admiration and respect for him. And for his parents for way they parented him.  I learned to let go when it is important to let go, and that Hashem hears our prayers and truly does count our tears. Hashem also holds our hands and guides us along the way, never leaving our side, not even for one second.

In so many ways, this campaign was like a very long pregnancy. There were many ups and downs, issues and problems, and then solutions. The end result is a baby that makes all the suffering easily forgotten.

The last few weeks were truly insane in my house. I spent hours and hours working on this, from the time I woke up until I went to bed. I truly had a vision of how the day should be and while I had so much help, a bulk of it did fall on me because I was micromanaging and being a perfectionist.  I spent the last night working until about 5:30am, and set my clock for 7am.  Being a total procrastinator, I waited until that evening to finish my speech. At 5:30, I gave up and said it'll have to do.

It was so exciting once my friends started to arrive, making the day seem more real. I arrived at Keneseth Beth Israel (KBI) and immediately began to rearrange the room.  I was rushing around and trying to get it set up the way I wanted when I realized it was so close to the time it was due to start and I still hadn't gotten dressed or put on my make up. Thankfully, I finished just as the guests started to arrive. How amazing to walk into the hall and see it filling up with people, and with the Torah spread out on the table waiting for final letters to be completed.

I'm going to have to let the pictures do the talking, since I seem to be at a lack for words.  The only other way I can find to describe the procession is floating ... I imagine this is what the Yidden felt like in the midbar on the anani hakavod ... the Clouds of Glory that lead their way.

Just now seeing the paper. Of course Yossi would make the front page! I continue to be in awe of you and Michael. You are incredible examples of love. I'm sorry I did not get to witness in person but my thoughts were with you all day. Our lives are forever intertwined and I love that. Know that I remember you all with fondness and love! God speed to the Paley family , Cari

So many beautiful things came out of this shabbos. To sum up what someone told me the night before the Hachnasas Sefer Torah ... You can't control what happened to Yossi, but you can control what you do with it.  And I feel like I did .... I took a very dark and depressing episode of my life and turned it into one of the brightest parts of my life. I feel so uplifted from this special weekend / shabbos.  As long as Yidden love the Torah which such a fierceness, there is no outside force that can ever bring us down.

Sending Love Through the Mail

First off, I did NOT write this post because of the secular date. I am writing in response to such a profound experience I had today.

I belong to a very special club that does not like when new members are added. The price to get into this club is way too steep to pay. That said, there still are over a hundred of us ladies sharing and caring for each other in a special What's App group.

Recently, one of the mommy's had a yartzeit coming up. Her child is buried in Eretz Yisroel. She went on a whirl wind trip to spend the day with her ... 24 hours in Israel!  We were privately talking, and I told her my theory that chocolate can help a lot. And since she is in Israel, in the Golan there is a small chocolate factory that puts out exceptional chocolates. I highly encouraged her to get some. Since she didn't have time to get up North, I told her I was pretty sure they had them in the airport and to grab some on her way out.

Time goes by, and life goes on and I am working day and night on my Hachnasas Sefer Torah project.  Ok. I am a total whack job. I've been ordering dresses and shoes and sending back dresses and shoes all because I can't find anything I like, or that fits well, or looks nice on. Today I was walking out the door and I saw a package on the porch. That's weird -- I wasn't expecting anything. I pick it up and see it's addressed to me from a woman in Brooklyn.

As soon as I opened it, I was shocked.  This is what I found in the box.

The note that was included said that she knows that the next few weeks are going to be hard for me, and she wanted to give me the little sugar to make the bitter medicine go down. (My words; paraphrasing what she said.)  I was beyond speechless. I started crying. Another mom understands that sometimes you can send some love through the mail. It's as if she reached through the physical space that divides us and gave me a hug to fortify myself against the emotional ferris wheel I am going to be on. There will be highs and there will be lows. That I know. I also know, that I am never alone.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. (And no, it's not the chocolate itself. It's the thought behind it that means so much.)

Gift wrapping and Martin Luther King

It's that time of year when people are going nuts buying gifts and trying to find innovative ways to wrap them. If you spend exact 3 seconds on google searching "gift wrapping ideas", you will come back thousands if not millions of ideas. There are some creative people in this world who have taken gift wrapping to a whole new level, making the wrapping itself a work of art.

And yet, the truth is, the wrapping is just that ... completely worthless it and of itself. Think about this for a second ... look at these gorgeously wrapped presents:

Imagine how excited you would feel to get such gorgeous presents on your birthday or a holiday or whatever. These are truly a work of art. A lot of time and effort went into the presentation. Now imagine that when you opened all your gorgeous presents, they were just empty boxes. Would you be happy?  Of course not. It doesn't matter how much time or effort goes into the presentation, the truth is that what really matters is what is INSIDE the present.

Then you have some people who are like me. Yes, I would love to spend the time and effort to make my gifts look as lovely as these do. The truth is, I just don't have the patience, or the supplies to do it. Recently, I had a friend who was under a lot of stress. I had made her a gift. I knew she "needed" a pick me up, and even though it wasn't the right time to give it to her, I wanted her to have it. However, I didn't have any of the necessary supplies to wrap it nicely. I wrapped it up in some nice tissue paper, and put inside a cute plastic bag. Nothing fancy. Just a regular shopping bag that I got in Israel that looked nice.  While the package didn't look like much, the wrapping really didn't matter in the least, because the gift inside is what really mattered.  (Yes, she loved it despite the crummy wrapping job.)

What am I getting at? Humans are the same way. The color of our skin, hair, eyes, if we have scars or look gorgeous ... these are all external things. They are the wrapping paper we wear. It doesn't matter if we have curly hair or straight hair, gorgeous perfect skin or are scarred with acne.  It doesn't matter if our physical body is considered perfect, or if we are disfigured or if we are over (or under) weight. What matters the most if the character we possess.  Are we kind? Are we friendly and happy? Do we think of others or are we selfish? Do we care about others feelings, or do we only care of what affects us? Character determines if you are pretty on inside. A person can be "ugly" on the outside, but if they have a lovely personality, people learn to look past the physical looks, because the beauty shines from the inside out. Queen Esther was chosen from all the girls to be the wife of King Achasvariosh, and yet, she had a green complexion. The commentaries say that her chein, her inner beauty, shined out, making her gorgeous on both the inside and the outside.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it the best in his famous speech, I have a Dream. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."  

Sadly, we are so far away from this. But not from the Right. It comes from the Left. It's the people who look at the Rockettes and complain that there are too many white women in the picture. https://www.weaselzippers.us/403578-the-rockettes-are-slammed-online-over-the-lack-of-diversity-in-dancers/ 

It's where a black can shame black men who voted for a white candidate. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/wapo-author-shames-black-men-who-dared-to-vote-for-republicans-in-georgia/

I could link to a million articles, but time after time after time it's the same thing ... Leftists look at things through a black and white lens, rather than just looking at through a clear lens. You need to have more female CEOs and you need more diversity, even if it means not bringing in the best person for the job or school position. I don't know about you, but I for one, do NOT want my pilot (if I were to fly which I won't) or a doctor to be the one who got picked for their skin or body parts. I want the BEST person, whether that person is white, black, green, purple, male, or female. 

To sum things up, this story says it all:

In 1986, the Rebbe began conducting a weekly "receiving line." Each Sunday, the Rebbe would stand in a small room near his office as thousands of men, women and children filed past to see him and receive his blessing. Many used the opportunity to pose a question and receive a word of advice. And to each of them the Rebbe gave a dollar bill, appointing them as his personal agent (shaliach) to give it to the charity of their choice.

Why the dollar? The Rebbe explained his custom by quoting his father-in-law, Rabbi YosefYitzchak of Lubavitch, who would often say: "When two Jews meet, something good should result for a third." The Rebbe wished to elevate each of the thousands of encounters of the day to something more than a meeting of two individuals; he wanted that each should involve the performance of a mitzvah, particularly a mitzvah that also benefits another individual.

Again, a most amazing phenomenon was reported by all who came for "Sunday Dollars." The Rebbe, well into his ninth decade at the time, would stand for as long as eight hours without interruption. Yet in the few seconds that he or she was with the Rebbe, each visitor felt that the Rebbe was there only for them. It was as though he or she were the only visitor of the day.

Once, an elderly woman could not contain herself and burst out: "Rebbe, How do you do it? How is it that you do not tire?"

The Rebbe smiled and replied: "Every soul is a diamond. Can one grow tired of counting diamonds?"

Every single person is a diamond. If the Leftists will stop looking at the wrapping, and start looking inside, they may find that sparkle. But of course, they won't listen to me, because I'm a racists, Islamophobic, transphobic, homophobic, hating Conservative. Oh yeah, and I'm misogynistic and antisemitic too. 

Thank You Hashem / Thanksgiving 2018

There is an inyan (idea) of saying Thank You Hashem for everything. The good, the not so good, and everything in between. (Is there really anything in between?)  A few months ago I got this book called The Garden of Miracles by Rabbi Shalom Arush. I have a few of his other books, and thought that this would make a lovely addition to the Yossi Chaim a'h Memorial Library.  However, after I read one story, I thought it was "stupid". Basically, the premise of the book is to say Thank You to Hashem and you will see miracles happen.  The first story was a childless couple who decided to accept they were never going to have kids and they thanked Hashem for their childlessness. I never finished the story, thinking it was pure drivel. (OK, I admit ... sometimes I can be very cynical.)  Then I saw a really cute video on my bereavement group. It was forwarded from the Thank You Hashem group. I ended up joining one of the groups (they have 11 or 12 of them now to accommodate all the people who want to be part of it).  AND .... I thought it was stupid. Thank you Hashem for giving me a parking spot ... Thank you Hashem for me not getting a ticket .... Thank you Hashem for blah blah blah ... such mundane, everyday little annoyances of life. Big time cynical, so I decided I had enough and I was going to leave the group.

Before I left though, I felt that maybe I needed to give it a shot. I had just bought 3 or 4 bags of jewelry, so I said, Thank you Hashem for giving me jewelry bags (which are getting harder and harder to get lately).  As I am going through the bags, they seem to be very blah bags. Until I pulled out a 14K gold bracelet. I got real excited and said, THANK YOU HASHEM! Then I remembered the group. I said to Hashem, if I pull out another piece of gold, I will post to the group. Lo and behold! Next I pulled out a 14K gold necklace.  All in all, I had several pieces of gold, some silver, and some lovely vintage pieces. I did publicly post to the group, and since then I've been a "reformed" person.

Fast forward to Nov 1, a week before Rosh Chodesh Kislev.  A cyber-friend posted to the bereavement group a message from her Thank You Hashem group that it is a custom to say shir hashirim for 40 days, ending on the 8th day of Chanukah, called Zos Chanukah.  I have very bitter feelings towards Zos Chanukah, as that is the day that we found out Yossi's treatment wasn't working. I found out later that Zos Chanukah is also the final day of judgement back from Tishrei ... which is why I feel a little bitter towards it. So I decided to transform Zos Chanukah into a positive experience. I decided that for me, I would take these forty days and use them to thank Hashem. Each day I am trying to come up with 10 things in my life that I am thankful for.  Today is Day 22 of my personal "Thank Hashem" mission. Since today is also Thanksgiving, I'll share a few of my things I am thankful for. Maybe it will inspire someone else to be thankful for the small things in their lives.

This is not the full list, just 40 of them, not in any particular order:

• My wonderful husband
• President Trump
• Shabbos
• Smart phones
• reading glasses
• umbrellas
• warm blankets
• Bill of Rights
• the US Constitution
• autumn leaves
• perfume
• milk chocolate
• teshuva
• hazelnut flavored coffee
• Binah magazine
• Savvy Sheitels
• sleeping in
• thrift stores
• yummy peppers in pretty colors
• hugs & kisses from grand kids
• What's App
• fantastic friends
• Jewish music
• my pink Sig Sauer p238
• Dansko shoes
• my family -- My mom; brother, in-laws, kids (and kids-in-law), grand kids
• pareve chocolate chips
• shells to wear under clothes in so many gorgeous colors
• awesome neighbors
• shabbos naps
• razors (and shaving cream!)
• Cooks Illustrated
• Our Tapestry
• sweet juicy oranges
• almonds
• jewelry!
• Drop Box
• the Torah & mitzvos (to connect w/ Hashem)
• lipstick
• pre-made pizza crusts

Gee ... what does it say about me that so many of my things revolve around food? LOL ... I guess today is a perfect day to be thankful for all the wonderful things Hashem has given us, especially the delish food!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Try and make every day a day to Thank Hashem for all the good He has bestowed on you, and you will see how much you really have to be thankful for. ~ Leah

#nohumanisillegal

Serious discussion here, with some food for thought.

Scenario 1:
You are sleeping late at late with your spouse. Your children are in their rooms. You hear a noise, and jump out bed. You run around trying to locate the source of the noise. You discover a woman standing in your living room. She has broken the lock on the back door and entered your house. She is a homeless woman, who left her previous city looking for a better place to live. She asks you, Can you please hire me to be a nanny for your children? Or can she be your cleaning woman?  It's 2am.

>Do you call the cops because this woman broke into your house?
>Do you give her a room to sleep in, a change of clothes, some food to eat, and immediately hire her to watch your children?

Scenario 2:
You own a business and are looking for a new employee. A husky man walks in and says, I WANT THE JOB.  He has no resume, no id, no nothing.

>Do you politely tell him that you can't hire someone with no resume or any information.
>Do you hire him because he he needs a job and he is willing work?

Scenario 3:
You are driving along a deserted highway. Suddenly, you notice a family, a father, a son, and and probably an uncle or something. It's 3 guys. They are hoping you will give them a ride to the next town, which is at least 50 miles away with nothing on the road.

>You don't even stop because you don't pick up hitchhikers.
>You stopped, got their story, and offer them a ride. Actually, they want you turn around and go back the way you were going because they aren't going to THAT city, they are going to the one you just came from. Sure, no problem.

I see these signs all the time -- No Human is Illegal.  Yeah, right. I would love to show up in their house one night, except I really don't want to get arrested. I have a feeling that even those people won't be too happy with a stranger showing up in the middle of night.

Do you lock your doors at night, or when you go away? If you believe in "no borders" and "no human is illegal", then you should NOT be locking your doors. You should be willing to let anyone who wants to walk into your house come in.

And if anyone knows of a decent job where you can be hired just on your desire to work, let me know.  (I'm not talking about picking strawberries or cleaning hotel rooms; I'm talking about a real job, like one in a bank or a supermarket cashier or an accounting firm, etc)  I seriously doubt anyone would hire someone with no resume and no references, especially in one involving children, like a care-giver, nanny, or nursery assistant.

In my opinion, if we aren't comfortable with strangers walking into our homes and making themselves part of the family (think squatters!), then why in the world should we let people into our country who want to do the same thing? America is our HOME. It should have the same rules we put up on our own personal houses.

So if you believe in no borders and no one is illegal, yet you lock your car or home, you, my dear, are a hypocrite!  If you vet the person you hire to watch your children, but think we should let anyone into the country w/o any vetting, again, you are fooling yourself.

You Don't Chase Away Darkness With a Stick

“A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.”
– Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

There is a story told of some chasidim who were making a farbrengin. They must have been downstairs, because, it started to grow dark. Because they had been in the room as it grew dark, they didn't even realize. Soon another came, and asked why they were sitting in the dark. They told him, "Come join us. Soon enough you will become accustomed to the darkness."

This chasid replied to them that they were being foolish. All they had to do was to light a candle, and there would be light!

This moshel teaches us that we shouldn't become complacent. Rather, we should always strive to fill the world with light.

In Judaism, we have some mitzvos that are connected to light. Each week we light candles to usher in shabbos. Every holiday is ushered in the same way, by lighting candles. We light Chanukah candles, starting with one and adding another every night until there are eight. The lesson from this is to add to the light. 

The world was created through Torah. Although we can't see it, there is a parallel spiritual universe as well. Our physical act of lighting candles brings much spiritual light into the physical world, even though we can't see it.

If you strike a match, it's very relative to how bright the light is. If you light it out a bright room, you aren't going to notice the light. However, that same match lit in a pitch dark room gives off a ton of light. 

This weekend we saw the darkness of pure evil. 11 souls were lost simply because they are Jewish  No other reason. As a Jew, I've been raised on stories of mesiras nefesh, giving up your life for G-d. It's not something that usually happens though. The story of Chanukah features a heroine whose 7 sons died for Judaism. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the terrorism in Israel, the list sadly goes on. The stories get more horrific than the previous ones. It's something you just learn to accept. There are people in this world who hate me for no other reason than I'm a Jew. There was one an antisemite on a forum who told me he hopes my son suffered terribly before he died. In the early 80s, we were flying cross country, with a stop in the mid-West. The flight attendant had never seen a Jew before. She asked us, where are your horns? (We told her we left them at home and walked on the plane.)

There is the famous question  ... Are Jews a race or a religion? The answer is, we are both and more. We are family. All Jews are connected, like one huge body. When you have an ingrown toe nail, your whole body hurts. You don't say, Eh, it's only a toe, it doesn't cause so much pain. Yes, it does!!! And since we Jews are all connected, when one hurts, we all hurt. The tears I've cried for people I've never met! I still do things in memory of the kidoshim who died in Mumbai, all these years later.

So evil raised its ugly head, and surprisingly, light is prevailing. The acts of goodness that are being performed are heartwarming. Yesterday, in our ladies group, they posted comments neighbors and coworkers made, expressing their sorrow over what happened. Today, a dear cyber friend reached out to me to let me she loves me and she so sorry. Flowers were left by our synagogue. A go fund me account was set up, by people who are not Jewish. Why? They want us to know we are not alone. Originally, their plan was to sponsor kiddush this shabbos. This goal was quickly met and surpassed. The organizer spoke with the rabbi. They decided to use the money towards extra security now needed. As of today, October 31, they met THAT goal of $1, 500!!! Driving back to VA from NJ, we passed so many buildings with their flags at half staff. To me, it was like a little hug. The entire country is mourning with us.

Years ago, a total stranger on Facebook told me that as long as he is alive, something like the Holocaust will never happen again. He would not allow it. He would give up his life trying to stop it. In some ways, this world seems so dark and scary. It's a world where people sometimes die while in the House of Worship. It's a world where some people feel safer knowing they have a gun near by (like me, never again means NEVER AGAIN). In other ways, this world is very different from the generation of the Holocaust. There are too many good people who understand the ramifications of sitting back and doing nothing. It's a world where we instantly know what is going on, whether it's near us or on the other side of the world. It's a world where there are a lot of people who will NOT allow us to be slaughtered again. And that fills me with hope. Because goodness will always prevail.

May the memories of these 11 kidoshim always be a blessing, and may Hashem speedily avenge their spilled blood. May there be no more sorrow, and we should witness the rebuilding of the 3rd Holy Temple speedily in our days, right now!

Edited to add:
The day after I wrote this, a picture is circulating around on what's app. 

KTT (khal tiferes tefilah) in monsey:

Last night, an African American man walked up to a guy in front of the shul and asked " are you part of the group?" The fellow answered affirmatively. He then handed him an envelope and said "there are more good people than bad people out there " and walked away. Here is the card:

My classmate, Nami Friedman, who is a shlucha in Pittsburgh wrote to our class  about some heartwarming things going on there now:

"This beautiful Pittsburgh community has responded with strength, love and unity. We are devastated but fighting darkness with light.

Our kids have not stopped with acts of goodness and kindness, we are busy with projects for the families, challah bakes in classes to give out to someone who may not have etc. 

The out pouring of love from the general community and whole of USA has been phenomenal."