Three months ago, a rabbi wrote a post on his congregation's blog about gun violence and our failure as a nation to address it...well, read it for yourself.
His wife and daughter are both teachers. The rabbi prays for their safety daily. And then the violence came...to him. His congregation.
What do we know about the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue shooting as of right now? 11 dead. The shooter in custody, with 29 counts against him. All in what used to be Mr. Roger's neighborhood. Do you remember Mr. Rogers? If you are younger than your mid-20's, you probably don't.
Yesterday, it wasn't a beautiful day in that neighborhood.
The shooting happened during Saturday morning services - and, worse yet, during a bris, which has been reported as a "baby naming ceremony" but it is a lot more than that.
The suspect is said to have yelled "All Jews must die!" as he fired his weapons.
Why are we not surprised, with all the hate that people are now feeling free to express in our country?
Monstrous words make monsters.
As much as I hesitate to link to an archive of social media posts the alleged shooter made on various social media, I feel it must be publicized. We must know the enemy of all decent people.
Our country, as we are continuously reminded, is in a crisis situation perhaps not seen since the end of the United States Civil War (1865). I am one of those who maintain that this war never really ended. We still fight it today, but without official armies.
We've had the Battle of Charlottesville. Now we have the Battle of Squirrel Hill.
Will we repeat the cycle that Rabbi Jeffrey Myers wrote about three months ago? To quote him:
"I recall seeing a post not long ago that rather accurately describes the life cycle of news, and I paraphrase to the best of my recollection: Tragic event – Thoughts and Prayers – Call to Action by our Elected Leaders – Hang Wringing – Next News Event."
I sadly note this is far from the first shooting in a house of worship in our country and Canada.
A Sikh temple in Wisconsin.
A white supremist in a historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Just to name a couple...
So, we've had the most recent tragic event. The thoughts and prayers are going out.
Are we going to rinse and repeat?
Or do we deserve better? Will we finally break the paralysis that even Las Vegas and Parkland couldn't? It's a wonderful thing that people are reacting the way they are but there has to be more. Each one of us has to begin with ourselves, and then, we must turn our nation around from the iceberg we are approaching at full speed.
Perhaps we need Mr. Rogers more than we will ever know.
Day 28 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost
So true. Thank you for talking about this horrible shooting in a place of worship, on Shabbat no less...my heart is heavy.
ReplyDeleteI grieve for the 11 who lost their lives yesterday. May their memories remain for a blessing. And may our leaders finally act to keep this from happening again.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where to begin. I've purposely not read the many accounts of the latest horrific shooting. I am so troubles by the continued gun violence and nothing being done about it, be they shootings in churches, movie theaters, or schools. Until a few months ago I commented heavily when people posted articles on social media, I posted myself. The return comments of still supporting guns, and failing to see the hate behind the guns made me want to scream from the rooftops. It's caused me to loose respect for some people I thought were good people. I don't want to read thoughts and prayers or hear empty politicians offering their thoughts and prayers when they're not willing to do anything about it. I often say to myself, well what did you expect...I don't post that, but think it often. So with all that, I've not yet worked up to even reading about this latest horrible incident. I loved Mr. Rogers and am sorry there's nothing like it currently on TV. I don't see good role models for our younger generations, they certainly aren't getting them from anyone in the current Administration. Truly sad. Thank you for sharing Mr. Rogers. I made my way here from someone else's blog, as I'm sipping hot tea and blog walking, too cold to be outside.
ReplyDeleteHi Alana,
ReplyDeleteHow well written. And a sober commentary on our society without Mr. Rogers. I loved him as a child. I do think we need him again. Or someone like him. So sad. Thank you for showing us this slant on this heartbreaking event.
Amy
There is a synagogue on my corner and five more within one mile. I have worried about what one crazy person might do for many years now. Such sickness out there.
ReplyDeleteHere's my reply...
ReplyDeletehttps://wp.me/p1ha8W-6NX
We're paralyzed because the NRA has bought so many politicians that they can't make the common sense regulations that would curb some of this craziness. So many extreme people refuse to fix things that could be fixed. Sad times.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post and it does begin with me. And it saddens me that all I see in the news is bad mouthing, sadness, and a glimmer of hope. This does need to change.
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