Two weeks ago, my class went on a field trip to hang up posters along the lakefront path of the Israelis who had been taken hostage. During that trip, we hung posters of those who have been recovered, are still held captive, and sadly have been killed. We gathered together along the lakefront path to recite a prayer for the hostages and for Israel. Although some may view this as doing extra, I personally believe that we were fulfilling the Jewish value of achrayut (responsibility, especially for each other). 

Being part of a Jewish community means that we not only have to love each other, but also be responsible for the people in our community who need our help. This means that because the hostages cannot stand up for themselves at the moment, we must take action and stand up for them. This relates to the Jewish value of lo ta'amod al dam re'echa (do not stand idly by when harm is being done to another). If we were to not put up those hostage posters, we would be standing to the side while all this harm was being done.

Click here to view a video created by Morah Rena