Moshe Arens and the Funeral He Couldn’t Attend

Professor Moshe Arens passed away last week at the age of 93. He was a man of great accomplishments—serving as Israel’s Defense Minister three times, as Foreign Minister, and as Israel’s ambassador to the United States. A gifted engineer, he helped shape Israel’s aeronautical industry and was awarded the Israel Prize and the Israeli Diplomacy Prize. But beyond his many achievements, one quiet and deeply personal story tells us something profound about his values as a Jew.

It happened several years ago. Arens’ brother had passed away, and Moshe flew to the United States to attend the funeral. He had every intention of honoring his brother's memory, despite the physical distance. But when he arrived in America and learned the full details of the ceremony, he was stunned. His brother, in the final chapter of his life, had converted to Christianity. The funeral would be conducted as a Christian ceremony.

Faced with this heartbreaking discovery, Moshe Arens made a decision that surprised many—he quietly turned around and flew back to Israel without attending the funeral.

To many, this might seem unthinkable. But to Arens, it was a choice rooted not in coldness or judgment—but in his deep commitment to his Jewish faith. For a Jew, emunah—faith in Hashem —is not just a belief, but a relationship that runs through every part of life. Judaism teaches that Hashem is One, and that the Jewish people are His chosen nation. This connection is at the heart of who we are.

When a Jew turns away from that bond, it creates a deep rupture. Our sages teach that we continue to pray for those who stray, hoping they return to the embrace of their people and their Creator. But we cannot, even with the best of intentions, give legitimacy to the act of separating from Am Yisrael—the people of Israel—and from the truth of Torah.

Moshe Arens was a man of strong principles. He loved his brother—but he loved Hashem and the Jewish people even more. By walking away, he made a quiet but powerful statement: our Jewish identity is eternal. Even in pain, we must stay true to our soul.

Twice a day, we recite the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.” It’s not just a verse—it’s our heartbeat. It reminds us, morning and night, that the oneness of Hashem is the core of our lives, and the reason our people have remained strong through every trial in history.

Moshe Arens' decision was not easy. It came with sorrow. But it also came from deep clarity. In a world full of confusion, he reminded us that being Jewish is not something we take lightly. It’s a covenant, a bond, a light in the darkness.

May his memory be a blessing, and may his quiet act of courage inspire us to hold tightly to the beauty, truth, and holiness of being a Jew.