Fighting Back Against “Deaths of Despair”

So much bloodshed. The deaths of so many innocents. It’s heartbreaking to read about. 

You might be confused. 

Perhaps I am talking about last week’s Torah portion, Parashat Bo, which includes the description of the 10th plague — the cruelest of them all, the one in which we read that every first born of Egypt from Pharaoh’s own son to the first-born of the lowest slave must die so that finally, finally Pharaoh will agree to let the Israelites go. 

But perhaps I’m talking about the mass shootings last week in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay that resulted in the deaths of almost 20 people. 

So much bloodshed. The deaths of so many innocents.

At least the loss of life described in the narrative of parasha Bo serves a purpose: The liberation of the Israelite slaves, our ancestors, will not happen until Pharaoh and the Egyptians suffer ever more painful, personal losses. 

By contrast, not only do the tragic deaths in the recent mass shootings serve no purpose, but also it seems that, once again, little will change as a result of the bloodshed. Just more lives lost.

An article published in The New York Times offers a glimmer of hope. Written by James Densley and Jillian Peterson, professors of criminology and criminal justice who run the The Violence Project, the article describes their research into perpetrators of mass shootings in the United States. They write that these killings “are not just random acts of violence but rather a symptom of a deeper societal problem: the continued rise of ‘deaths of despair.’”

The killers profiled are nearly all men, socially isolated from their families or communities, alienated from society. Many had experienced some type of hardship or setback but few had chosen to ask for help from family, friends or professionals.

Peterson and Densley suggest that there is much that can be done to prevent mass shootings: “Our communities and governments need to find ways to reduce social isolation more broadly and improve access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment.” 

Peterson and Densley suggest that there is much that can be done to prevent mass shootings: “Our communities and governments need to find ways to reduce social isolation more broadly and improve access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment.” We need to invest more in suicide prevention, crisis intervention and reporting systems for violent threats. They argue that we must do this in addition to passing gun safety laws like background checks, longer waiting periods, safer gun storage requirements and red flag laws.

As Jews, we have wisdom to share about ways to reduce social isolation… Our Jewish tradition has always valued communal participation, making the fulfillment of many mitzvot dependent on gathering together with others. 

As citizens, there is much we can do to support such measures. As Jews, we have wisdom to share about ways to reduce social isolation, one of the key factors that seems to drive these “deaths of despair.” Our Jewish tradition has always valued communal participation, making the fulfillment of many mitzvot dependent on gathering together with others. We need a minyan (a prayer quorum) to recite Kaddish and other central prayers in our liturgy. Our obligations to the community are many including the mitzvah of contributing tzedakah and worrying about the needs of the widow, the orphan and the stranger. 

In our Jewish tradition, individual identity is inextricably tied to one’s connection to the larger community. The kehillah (the organized Jewish community), is where the individual turns for meaning, purpose and support.

Among my deepest hopes for our broader community, for our synagogues, schools and other Jewish institutions, is that we, each of us, might feel this sense of belonging, this sense of connection, and this sense of obligation to one another, that we might know each other deeply so that we might see the pain and struggle of another and be there to reach out in friendship and in love.

It’s especially hard in a time like this when we feel pulled in so many different directions. But it’s not an insurmountable challenge. Connecting to community requires effort, to be sure, but the reward is tangible and, I believe, deeply needed, now more than ever.

Let’s work as Americans to support structures that will provide support and help to those experiencing isolation and despair. And let’s work together as members of our communities to be there for one another in ever more powerful and supportive ways. There are so many opportunities in our synagogues, schools and other Jewish institutions in which we can participate in person as well as online. 

There is too much despair in the world and it can lead to isolation and, God forbid, even violence. But there is joy, too. There is community. There is meaning and purpose, kindness and compassion.

Here’s an invitation: Take some time in the coming days to look at your calendar and carve out opportunities for you to be with your community in a way that you find engaging and meaningful. Do it for yourself but know that it will help others, your own community, as well.

There is a plague of darkness and despair in our world. We can help to bring some light.

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback is the Senior Rabbi of Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, California.