I often take too long to write my shofar articles, waiting for the ‘right’ moment to put together words that would resonate when the new TE Shofar will reach your home. This month I was quite happy to submit my column in a timely manner, but then… Pittsburgh tragedy rocked our world, and the crafted words had to be set aside…
The shock of hearing the news at the end of the Torah study, the long week filled with grief, the life stories of the victims, their pictures, their funerals… But also the week filled with vigils, and countless messages of support from faith communities, and neighbors, and strangers – Jews and non-Jews, religious and secular, priests, imams, community leaders and ordinary folks. And most importantly: the TE sanctuary filled to the brim on a Sunday morning for asephah (assembly), with parents and children who choose to be a part of the Jewish religious community, the synagogue, with its customs, and traditions and values… And then the first Shabbat with our sanctuary filled beyond capacity with people seeking comfort and community, and with others coming to show support and solidarity… And the Pittsburgh Gazette that printed the opening words of kaddish, in Hebrew, right below their name… And Pittsburgh Penguins that changed their logo for the first game after the tragedy to incorporate the Star of David – as did the Steelers…
I can talk about hatred today, and antisemitism – both are far too real, and need to be taken seriously by all of us, by our society and our country. Growing up outside America, I am not surprised by either of these things – I have a firsthand experience of both, and have physical and emotional scars to show for it. One of the greatest tragedies of anti-Semitic hatred, any hatred really, is when it is followed by indifference, or tacit approval, of the society at large. This last week was tough – but also filled with hope and comfort. We live in the society where this is NOT OK. Our neighbors, our friends, strangers on the street, our police officers, our elected officials, our athletes, all of us rise to say: this is NOT who we are.
This does not mean there’s no hate, or no antisemitism – sadly, it is very much here. We have to be vigilant, as we know from history that we ignore these signs at our own peril… But let us also acknowledge and celebrate the fact that our society at large chose to stand with us in our time of sorrow. And then let us go back to doing what we do best: practice our values and our traditions, celebrate Jewish Festivals and Shabbat, sing and pray, learn and feed the hungry, improve the world – and improve ourselves. Let us do what is in our power, every day: be the best versions of Jews WE can be.