In 2018, following the shooting at Congregation Tree of Life in Pittsburg, I created this video with the words you see below.
Today, how tragic that we add yet another act of senseless hate to this list of violence. The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas leaves us grief-stricken.
But it can not relegate us to paralysis.
We live in one of the most educated times in history. And yet we continue to allow guns to get into the hands of people with nefarious intentions. Please, take a moment in time to hold close those you love. Hold them extra close.
And take an additional moment in time to write…. Write to your elected officials. Write to your newspapers. Let them know that enough is enough. “We will not stand by idly while our neighbors bleed” (Lev. 19:16).
”We Are”
by Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro, 2018. Updated in 2022
We are Parkland.
We are Newtown.
We are Orlando.
We are Las Vegas.
We are Charlie Hedbo.
We are Virginia Tech
We are Charleston
We are San Bernadino
We are Laramee
We are Oklahoma City
We are Columbine
We are the Congregation Tree of Life in Pittsburgh
We are Thousand Oaks
We are Chistchurch
We are Sri Lanka
We are Poway
We are Atlanta
We are Boulder
We are Buffalo
We are Uvalde, Texas
We are
We are all these places where violence and hate crimes have inflicted terror on humanity.
And today WE are Culver City, and we bring a message of SHALOM
We are Jews
We are Christians
We are Muslims
We are Hindus, Shiks, and Bhuddists. We are Bahai
We are atheists and agnostics.
We pray to God, to Adonai, to Allah.
We love our children.
We are black, we are white, we are Latino. We are Asian. We are LGBTQ.
We are Democrats. We are Republicans.
We are immigrants. We are native.
We are survivors.
We are redeemers.
We are.
We are and we love and we dream and we hope.
We are.
We pray and we listen. We embrace and we care.
We are.
We march toward truth. We replace darkness with light.
We are.
We pursue justice. We march for peace. We gather with unity.
We fight the evils of antisemitism, a disease that has plagued Judaism – and all who care about humanity – for 3500 years.
We inherit the right to be safe in our schools, our houses of worship, and our places of recreation.
We inherit the responsibility to demand more of our community when that safety is compromised.
We are.
And we always will be.
As the prophet, Amos taught, “Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
For businesses and public figures, a crisis is not a question of if, but when. Leaders must be prepared to respond in the way each dilemma demands. The right crisis response, Ben-Horin argues, depends on timing and the leader’s nerve to act.
Some have reportedly hired private security, while others avoid interviews or limit commentary on Israel and the war altogether due to fear of backlash, harassment or professional repercussions.
Oran Almog, who lost his eyesight and five family members in a terror attack in 2003, describes the delicate process of helping fellow survivors and bereaved families continue with their lives.
The updated HEAR Act will not guarantee victory for every claimant, but Congress has now made its message unmistakable: Nazi-looted art cases should not be dismissed because Survivors and heirs could not find what was deliberately hidden from them.
For those involved, the lawsuits are not only about past incidents, but about whether they will lead to meaningful accountability and lasting change on campus — so that Jewish faculty and students can feel safe, visible and protected within the university.
The report revealed that nearly three-quarters, 74%, of Jewish young adults (ages 18-28) worldwide and two-thirds, 67%, of young adults in Israel believe they can positively influence the future of their communities.
Like many enduring recipes – traditional rugelach dates back centuries in Eastern Europe – it was passed down, adapted and refined in kitchens through multiple generations.
We are so very fortunate that the diaspora shows up when Israel is under rocket fire and we are in shelters. The harder question is whether they will show up when Israel is underpriced.
Rachel is a gifted woman who has been chosen to carry a burden. And in turn, she has chosen, by her own telling, to write and to speak about that burden.
A Jewish state means what international law has long recognized, what the moral logic of self-determination requires, and what the law of indigenous rights confirms.
Our nation’s leaders should exclude those whose behavior violates America’s fundamental moral values. That will send a message to athletes and aspiring athletes around the world that the United States rejects bigotry.
We are being commanded to be kind to others, but we are not being asked to be angels, especially when dealing with those who do not share our values, including those who are our enemies.
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