Yiskor can wait

At my schul’s Yom Kippur services, our fantastic Rabbi Avi Perets cautioned those with living parents to NOT leave before the traditional Yiskor commemoration. Recognizing the Oct. 7 massacre as a pogrom unseen since 1945, he orchestrated a Yiskor service in remembrance of the 1,600 or so Jews, who had perished on Oct. 7 and in its aftermath just because they were Jewish.

It was a breathtaking reminder of the significance of these events, reinforcing that we Jews are ALL related to those who were murdered. We are ALL now at greater risk of antisemitic activities in the backlash against Israel’s battle to rid the world of the Iranian-backed monsters who committed these heinous crimes.

Clearly, the regular Yiskor could wait. We were so fortunate, notwithstanding 1967 and 1973, to have had such a long time between such horrific events.

And then it made me remember how fortunate and naïve I had been before my parents died. I wandered out of temple before Yiskor, not fully understanding how lucky I was to have them, first looking over me, and, near the end, looking out for them. It reminded me of my dear mother Mary (Miriam), the Jewish lady with the Catholic name, who taught me thriftiness (maybe to a fault) and the importance of corresponding with others. It brought back memories of my dear father Leonard (Aryay ben Sheftel) who taught me about baseball and tzedakah, and keeping records of everything AND keeping everything (again, the latter two to a fault). How I miss them, and pray that my sister and I protected them as well as possible in their waning years.

I hope your schul creates a second and prior Yiskor for the victims of Oct. 7 (although I hope many already have done so). And for those of you fortunate enough to head outside during the traditional Yiskor, try to repay the kindness and support that your parents gifted to you as you grew.

Yiskor won’t wait forever.

Larry Hershoff

Sunset Beach, N.C.