On Saturday after the services at our Synagogue, I noticed a bouquet of flowers that had been left by some friendly neighbors, with a note stating that they were thinking of us. My mind started turning as I realized that something ominous must have happened, yet on the Sabbath I don’t use electronics and had no idea what might have occurred.
Over the next few hours, I was informed by others regarding what had happened and harsh news began to sink in. Then at the conclusion of Sabbath, as the full gruesome reality of what had happened became known, I was numb with pain and in absolute shock at this terrible mass murder that had just happened to my brethren.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the eleven murdered victims who went to the Synagogue to pray and celebrate Shabbat, only to be gunned down and murdered. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the injured including the four policemen who were shot while bravely trying to stop the gunman and end the carnage.
As Jews and as citizens of this great country we are in deep mourning and very disturbed that by this terrible atrocity. It is unthinkable that people who were going to pray in a Synagogue in 2018 were gunned down while holding their prayer books, with the last words that they heard being “all Jews must die”.
This tragedy is real and personal, we all have friends in Pittsburgh who live right there in the neighborhood and in our own little community we have friends of several of the victims and very many other indirect connections to the victims and the community.
No one should ever be targeted because of their race, religion, ethnicity or any other factor not in a house of worship, not on the street and not anywhere else. This attack has sent shockwaves through our communities across the country and has stirred a deep and powerful gash in the hearts of all of us.
At the same time during a time like this, we are grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of support from people from all walks of life, be they government officials, law enforcement officials or neighbors and people from across the spectrum of the population. This kind of support comforts us with the knowledge that the overwhelming vast majority of people in this country, are inherently good people who abhor hate and strive for inclusion, respect and tolerance.
My mentor, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, would always emphasize the need to turn hate and tears into action. Yes, this attack takes us back to dark periods of Jewish history and persecution, and the chills go through us as we think about this and we try and answer our children’s questions. Yet Judaism has always thrived on a message of light and positivity as we continue to move forward to make this world be a better place for all of mankind through acts of goodness and kindness, and replace hatred with love and light.
The great medieval scholar, Moses Maimonides taught: One positive action, one word, or even one thought, can reverberate throughout the world, and impact the entire world for good. As we remember the loss of eleven innocent lives, we will also resolve to respond to hatred, by adding more goodness, compassion and kindness in the world.
We are confident that America is a great place for all of its citizens, no matter their race, ethnicity or religion, and together, we shall persevere and respond with light and goodness so that hate has no place in our society. Together we will make sure that America can be a place of understanding, tolerance and respect for the diversity that it is made up of and no one will be targeted because they are Jewish or because they are of any other faith, color or ethnicity.