June 13, 2016
7 Sivan 5776
Dear Rodeph Sholom Family:
Once again we are stunned by a barbarous act of terror, this time directed at the LGBTQ community of Orlando, Florida. The attack very well could have taken place in a church, synagogue or school. This assault may have been inspired by ISIS, but hatred this deep is incredibly undifferentiated. Those who hate the Jew, the Black, the Latino, the LGBTQ person, etc., might attack the closest or most accessible place, killing whoever is there as long as they don’t look precisely like the perpetrator. The Other must be eliminated.
What can we do? Of course, we will make sure that our precious shul and schools are as safe as humanly possible. Security continues to be our highest imperative and we are grateful to you for your support in this crucial matter.
A sixth grade congregant, Jacob Steinberg, wisely has written:
Following the Orlando attack, I felt two immediate emotions. The first being sadness for the 50 dead and their families and the second being anger. Anger at the lack of gun control. Anger at the people that deny the fact that handguns, rifles, and assault rifles are dangerous, easy to obtain, and allow terrorists and insane people to murder human beings, of varied races, genders, religions and sexual orientations…
Mass shootings have now become almost normal in the US. Facebook adds filters too often. And yet people think that guns are unimportant. This needs to be stopped. Too many people never get to say goodbye and too many have to.
Beautifully said.
During the festival of Shavuot, we once again stood at Sinai affirming that we and God will work together to create a saner world. The Torah’s golden rule: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” applies to all of God’s children and must be vigorously observed.
Accordingly, we must stand up against ALL bigotry and refuse to rationalize statements of racism and homophobia, made by presidential candidates and everyone else. We must call the vicious terrorist attacks against Israel what they are: virulent anti-Semitism. We also must stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters who too often are indiscriminately hated simply because they are Muslim. As Jews we know just how reprehensible that stance is.
Long ago we learned that an attack on any group of people is an attack on every other group as well. The Jewish values we live by must reflect that truth. Prime Minister Valls of France recently said that when the Jews of France were attacked, France itself was attacked. Substitute any group and any country, and the statement still rings true.
This Friday night we celebrate Pride Shabbat, Rodeph Sholom’s profound statement of inclusion for ALL of God’s children. This is one of our most unshakeable values. Our trustee, Denise Sobel, will be our guest speaker and will reflect on her and her family’s journey. As the Torah reminds us, “We dare not stand idle while our neighbor bleeds.”
Join us and raise our voices in prayer and resolve as we ask God to help us affirm the sacred mitzvah: “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Robert N. Levine
Senior Rabbi
