fbpx

An attack against one is an attack against all

Following are the remarks Zoe Klein, senior rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Los angeles, delivered at a memorial for the victims of the Charleston shooting held June 18 at First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles.
[additional-authors]
June 19, 2015

Zoe Klein, senior rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Los  Angeles, delivered the following remarks at a memorial service June 18 at First A.M.E. Church fin Los Angeles honoring the victims of the shooting at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Klein addressed her remarks to a 5 year old girl whom some news reports, still unconfirmed, said survived the massacre by lying on the floor pretending she was dead. To hear a recorded excerpt of the rabbi’s remarks click play below.

I want to speak with that 5-year-old girl who had to play dead while her church family was slaughtered around her. I want to speak with that 5-year-old girl who had to play dead while shots were fired, while the gun was reloaded, while blood and tears ran through the pews. 

Little girl, you are full of nightmares now. You have a story that is full of terror and tragedy. And we are sorry. 

We are sorry that we have not uprooted racism after all this time. 

We are sorry that we whitewash the problem in our media. 

We are sorry that we have been deaf to the voice of the suffering. 

We are sorry that you live in fear of brutality. 

We are sorry that we have not figured out responsible gun legislation in this country. 

We are sorry. 

And I want to share with you, little girl, that you are also part of a different story. You are part of a much bigger prayer family. 

An attack against any house of worship is an attack against every house of worship. An attack against one faith is an attack against all faiths. 

We are a tree of life whose roots run deep down into the Earth that is our mother. Our roots are fed from the same rains. Our seeds sprout under the same sun. And we sing our songs, to Jesus, to Adonai, to many different names, and there are as many sanctuaries thrumming with bloodrush and heartsong as there are stars in the sky, and you belong to them all. 

An attack against one is an attack against all, an ax swung into the trunk of the tree of life. 

Temple Isaiah and First A.M.E. Church have been in loving partnership for over 30 years. We created a unique, precious relationship in Los Angeles, a multifaith family serving God through worship and social action toward all humankind. Thirty years of music, text, food, activism and dreams, and I want to tell you, little girl, you are part of that story. 

Your prayer circle, led by Pastor Pinckney, may his memory be a blessing, intersects with millions of prayer circles around the world. 

Sweet little sister, you need not play dead anymore. Rise up and find your power, and sing out loud! For we promise, in your name, we will triple our efforts, strengthen our bonds to one another and write a different story. One that will make you proud. A story in which no child trembles under a church pew, and no child is afraid to go to synagogue or temple. A story in which our houses shall be houses of prayer for all people, and none shall be afraid. 

We are sorry for what you have witnessed, and we want you to witness this. Witness this tapestry of faces, each one made in God’s image, shining with beauty. We are your royal family. And we put out our hand to you and lift you up off that floor, and sing to you: Hallelujah, little girl, we love you. Hallelujah.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Who’s Really the Victim?

Those who would revel in Israel’s demise are claiming victimhood on every front and denying attacks on us in the same breath.

Biblical Deterrence

After Oct. 7, the sentiment in Israel toward the Iranian leadership was unequivocal: You went medieval — so we will go biblical.

How Sukkot Makes Us Whole

This year, I bless us that we open our eyes to truly see the beauty and the holiness of the world, and of the person before us at each and every moment, and to see the godliness of their aspirations and their fears.

The New Ushpizot

Ushpizin invite us to “welcome in our ancestral constellation and dwell amongst them.” This year, it’s Ushpizot, for the women. It’s the year of the Feminist Visitation.

Macklemore, Or Less

In between his songs, he proclaimed, “Free Palestine,” which is fine, asserted that opposing Israeli military actions is not antisemitic, which is accurate, and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, which is offensive, untrue and hateful.

The Rokeach’s Remarkable Sukkah

To Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (1176-1238), the medieval German pietist known as the Rokeach, the sukkah symbolized Jewish military might.

The Sukkah and the Power of Endurance

They can destroy our Temples, demonize us in social media, shower us with hate, but they can’t destroy a spirit that never stops building. That enduring spirit is the power of the sukkah.

NY Mag’s Habibi City

A satirical response to Zaina Arafat’s erasure of Jews in her New York Magazine article “Habibi City,” written as Zaina Arafat.

The ‘Fauda’ Enigma

In many of the nations that believe Israel has no right to exist and routinely root for terrorists to slaughter Jews, a TV show that depicts Israeli covert operatives outsmarting and dispatching Arabs has an inexplicably loyal global audience.

Jewish Democrats Cave to Anti-Semites

Those of us who are not of the Democrat politic party have believed that the Democrats have done little to stop the disease of Jew hatred from infiltrating their party.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.