There is a quote by Viktor Frankl that has accompanied me long before I imagined how relevant it would become: “It is not freedom from conditions, but the freedom to take a stand toward the conditions we face.” Since October 7th, 2023, this idea has shifted from being merely inspiring to becoming a call to action.
Since that day, we have been confronted with images, stories, and realities that wound not only our Jewish identity, but the very essence of what it means to be human. It is not only the attempted genocide of our people. It is also the violence against women, the banality of evil, and the inversion of values that, as Hannah Arendt warned, can quietly infiltrate society. As Rabbi Sacks reminded us, antisemitism is like a virus, adapting itself to whatever a generation holds most dear — and today, it even distorts the language of human rights to justify the rejection of the other.
I have seen this dangerous drift in my own country. Just recently, Brazil announced its withdrawal from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) — a decision that, in my view, reflects not only a lack of commitment to Holocaust memory, but also the normalization of antisemitism under the guise of political discourse. It is a sobering reminder of how fragile values can be when they are no longer actively defended. As community leaders, we face this reality daily, knowing that silence and inaction only deepen the danger.
In this reality, Shabbat arrives as a moment of pause — but not of passivity. It invites us to reflect on the difference between resting and becoming complacent; between keeping silent in order to listen and keeping silent out of fear. The world may try to convince us that it is safer to accommodate, but history has taught us that it is in times of greatest uncertainty that we must rise the most.
May this Shabbat renew in us the courage not to grow accustomed to the intolerable. May it remind us that, even in the most difficult conditions, we still have the freedom — and the responsibility — to choose how to act. And may we turn that choice into commitment, light, and hope for our people and for the world.
Shabbat Shalom.
Daniela Russowsky Raad is a lawyer specializing in succession and family law, as well as conflict resolution. She also works in Jewish education, focusing on developing leadership skills and training new community leaders. Daniela was recently elected President of the local Jewish Federation—the second woman to hold this position and the youngest president in the institution’s history.
