Tragically, Steven Sotloff made national and world news this week after ISIS released a video showing his beheading. Steven was a 31-year-old American journalist, and, we now know, the grandson of Holocaust survivors. He travelled to Israel in 2005, studied at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, later accepting Israeli citizenship and becoming a contributor to The Jerusalem Report, a sister-publication to The Jerusalem Post.
A year ago he was kidnapped in Syria. Immediately, his friends and family went to all lengths to hide any trace of his Jewish identity. They combed his online presence and removed anything that could potentially link him to Israel or Judaism. Over 150 people, speaking 20 different languages, joined the effort. They looked through his Facebook page, Twitter account and all his articles. Anything that could potentially endanger him was immediately taken down.
But Steven Sotloff had a powerful Jewish soul, and regardless of how many articles were taken down, and how much effort was made to remove any trace of Jewishness from his online presence, his soul burned bright. Last year on Yom Kippur, Steven risked his life to fast and pray. Even though his captors served him eggs, he feigned illness and didn't eat. He even managed to pray facing Jerusalem! He observed the direction in which his captors prayed, then adjusted the angle accordingly.
Yom Kippur is the day when, regardless of how far we may have strayed, we return to G-d and beg his forgiveness for our sins. This is the day that, in the most desperate of circumstances, Steven chose to connect to G-d despite the great risk to his very life. This was Steven Sotloff - talented journalist and proud, proud Jew.
We are currently in the month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is the time to reconnect with G-d, regardless of how distant we may have been during the other 11 months of the year. We may have let our connection to G-d dwindle, but now is the time to reignite it. During Elul we blow the shofar to awaken our souls and remind us who we are and what we should be doing. It is a month when we peel away the layers we've built up and get in touch with who we really are our core. Steven Sotloff did just that. Held in captivity, in brutal conditions, his soul burned bright, his relationship with G-d vibrant and alive.
Our hearts go out to Steven's family and friends at this difficult time. Let's honor his memory by following his lead. If Steven was able to pray while being held captive by barbaric monsters, certainly we, who live in luxurious freedom, can pray and connect with our heritage. As we gear up for the High Holidays, let's make an effort to tune in to our souls and reconnect to G-d, in memory of Steven.