“Somewhere” Beyond Our Fears

Janet C. Kirschner, WLCJ International Vice President and Per Capita Chair

Many of us grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and were captivated by Judy Garland singing the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I know I was.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the unexpected gift of hearing that song again in two very different settings, and each time it gave the song new meaning for me. In October, I saw the classic film shown in an immersive presentation at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Surrounded by light, sound, and motion, Dorothy’s longing felt very real. Her song expresses something many of us feel—the hope that somewhere beyond fear and uncertainty there is a better world.

Then in February, our synagogue welcomed Angela Buchdahl, the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, in conversation with Rabbi Dana Saroken. Speaking about her memoir, Heart of a Stranger, Rabbi Buchdahl reflected on identity and belonging. As the daughter of a Korean mother and a Jewish father, she spoke movingly about living between cultures and traditions. She is also a Cantor.

At the end of the evening, she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” In that moment, the song felt like more than music—it felt like a prayer.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

The song was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, the children of Jewish immigrants. They understood the deep longing for safety, dignity, and home—especially during a time when danger was rising in Europe. Their dream of “a land that I heard of once in a lullaby” echoes the Jewish story in powerful ways.

On this Shabbat during Passover, we are reminded that our people know that longing well. Our ancestors lived in Mitzrayim (Egypt), a narrow place of oppression. Freedom must have seemed as distant as a rainbow on the horizon. And yet they moved forward. They stepped into the sea before it split. They carried matzah, the bread of both hardship and hope. They believed in a future they could not yet see.

Pesach is our people’s song of hope. In Jewish tradition, the rainbow is a symbol of covenant and promise, appearing after the storm as a sign that renewal is possible. Shabbat can feel like a rainbow too—a weekly reminder of the world as it could be: a world of rest, dignity, justice, and peace.

This Shabbat of Pesach invites us to hold on to hope. Even when the journey feels long, and even when redemption seems far away, we remember that change begins with hope and with courage .May we have the faith to believe in the “somewhere” beyond our fears. May we help bring that vision closer through our words and our deeds. And may this Shabbat bring you rest and renewal, and remind us that redemption and peace—like the rainbow—are always within reach.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Sameach,
Janet C. Kirschner
WLCJ International Vice President and Per Capita Chair