My dear friends,
My heart is broken. I am searching for the words that can do justice to the truth and at the same time bring comfort to the hearts of good people. We are good people. We believe in the power of love, we aspire to meaningful lives. We try as best we can to live intentionally. To breathe in the beauty and wonder that abounds. We count our blessings. So many blessings. And then…. And then people whose hearts are evil and who live in darkness enter into our homes, our nightclubs as we dance, our marketplaces as we enjoy an ice cream with our children on a hot summer day. They appear out of nowhere, in Tel Aviv, Orlando. We cannot comprehend; we simply cannot understand the heart of the wicked. They cause so much suffering. Shock and fear permeates our world.
Friends, we are in a war, even as we search for peace. Just yesterday, at services for the holiday of Shavuot, we sang of peace many times. We are a people who seek peace. How are we to understand an ideology of hate that knows no borders, that has no boundaries, that preaches destruction?
An article appeared last month without much notice from the western world. It declared the holy month of Ramadan (June 5- July 5) “a month of hurt on infidels everywhere.” According to the watchdog organization MEMRI, which monitors the Arabic-language media, the article Ramadan – The Month of Jihad, Fighting and Victory over the Enemies praises “jihad for the sake of Allah [as] the pinnacle of Islam,” calling it “one of the best and most noble deeds.” Click here for The Times of Israel article.
To be sure, this holy month of Ramadan is for the vast majority of Muslims a time of prayer, introspection and devoted to good deeds. At BJBE we reach out to the Muslim community in solidarity. We seek to build meaningful relationships.
What can be our immediate response to the pain we are witnessing? The day after the attack in Tel Aviv, the very same outdoor area was overflowing with people. Families, children, pregnant women, fathers, grandparents, went in and out of stores. Restaurants and cafes were crowded. Not because they were callous to the suffering of the day before, but rather they were defiant of the wickedness. Their presence was the greatest act of peace and love that could be expressed. We live, we gather, we hold our heads high, we are not afraid, we live with hope and optimism that our way of life will triumph.
Wednesday, June 15, at 6:30pm the very first act of the newly elected board will be to gather together in a service of solidarity and mourning for the victims of terrorism and hate. I ask as many of you as possible to join us. It is for moments like these we belong to a community dedicated to values, ethical living, the pursuit of peace and justice. We need to step away from our lives and join in song and prayer and a moment of intentional silence. We will gather strength from one another and affirm that our ideology, our way of life continues. Light will triumph over darkness.
See you Wednesday night,
Rabbi Karyn Kedar