I shared these thoughts with my congregation, Temple Israel of Great Neck, one week after the shootings at Chabad of Poway:
A week ago, on the last day of Passover, I spoke about how important it is for us to claim religion as a source of affirmation and love, rather than discrimination and violence. Roughly at the time I was speaking, a hateful murderer was preparing to kill as many innocent worshipers as he could at Chabad of Poway in San Diego.
As we learned more details, we discovered that the murderer is 19 years old, had been influenced by white supremacist teachings, and had also been accused of setting fire to a nearby mosque. We discovered that the woman killed, Lori Gilbert Kaye, was fatally shot as she tried to protect Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who was wounded, along with 8-year old Noya Dayan and IDF veteran Almog Peretz.
How awful that the topic of my sermon last week ended up being tragically relevant once again in this way. Religion as a source of affirmation and love, rather than discrimination and violence.
A woman is dead, leaving behind a husband and a daughter whose lives are shattered. Those in the synagogue who witnessed the shootings and survived, including children, are traumatized.
I am angry, frustrated, despondent.
This happened 6 months after the shootings in Pittsburgh, there have been shootings of Jews in Europe and shootings in churches and mosques the world over.
The Torah this morning speaks of כפרה kapara, of the atonement that the kohen has to do, first for himself, then his family, then the whole community.
I want to challenge us each to consider these concentric circles - first ourselves, then our families, then the community.
What should we be doing, in light of the rise in antisemitic acts, the rise in hate-based acts, overall?
First, we should name and confront antisemitism for what it is. We should recognize all of the places that it’s coming from, right and left, and criticize our leaders when they fail to call it out unambiguously.
The NY Times overseas edition recently printed an antisemitic cartoon. It featured President Trump as a blind man being led by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, himself depicted as a service dog leading the blind man along. As Bret Stephens and others have pointed out, the cartoon goes well beyond merely being critical of the prime minister and the president by using longstanding anti Semitic stereotypes. The Jewish PM is depicted as a dog, the Jew pretends to be the servant but is the true master, sneakily taking over.
In an article that appeared shortly after the cartoon was featured, Bret Stephens wrote the following: “The problem with the cartoon isn’t that its publication was a willful act of anti-Semitism. It wasn’t. The problem is that its publication was an astonishing act of ignorance of Anti-Semitism - and that, at a publication that is otherwise hyper-alert to nearly every conceivable expression of prejudice.” (Stephens, "A Despicable Cartoon in the Times," April 28, 2019)
So the NY Times, and any newspaper that would publish such cartoons, needs to be held accountable, for profound ignorance at best and actual antisemitic intent at worst.
Some of us get more worked up over antisemitism from the left, some of us from the right. Truth is that most of the violent acts against Jews in America now are coming from white supremacists, on the right. But there is certainly anti-Semitism coming from the left, especially in the Europe, but here as well.
By all means we should criticize the NY Times for the cartoon. And Democratic Congresswoman Omar for, among other things, writing about "the Benjamins" exercising undue influence on foreign policy. And Former President Obama for listening to an anti-Semitic preacher for 10 years before leaving that church. But then also, in the name of intellectual and moral honesty, we must criticize Republican Congressman Jordan for using dollar signs instead of S’s when tweeting about Jews and President Trump for, among other things, still failing to acknowledge unambiguously that white supremacists are a threat and that his comments in recognizing good people on both sides of the Charlottesville march were just plain wrong.
Jewish brothers and sisters, let’s wake up. Let’s not be lulled into complacency by those who pedal antisemitism directly, or who soft-pedal it in response, just because this one or that one agrees with our political views and agenda.
Anyone who kills innocent people in the name of religion is a religious terrorist. There are Christian terrorists, Muslim terrorists, Buddhist terrorists. Jewish terrorists. Those who kill innocent people in the name of their religion deserve to be labeled as such and if we have blind spots about that in one direction or another, we need to confront those blind spots.
That was the first call to action and there are two more.
On several occasions, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein spoke painfully, tenderly, passionately about what happened at the Chabad of Poway last Saturday. With his recent wounds visible, he addressed his synagogue in the moments following the shootings and then went to the hospital. In the hospital he delivered a passionate message, describing efforts to protect the congregants, including the children who were present. And he said, unequivocally, that the Jewish people will not be destroyed, that we will carry on.
He said it was a miracle the gun that the terrorist used jammed at a certain point and wouldn’t shoot any more bullets.
I don’t want to talk theology now. But I do know what the Talmud says about miracles. In the portion fo the Talmud dealing with Purim and elsewhere, the Talmud clearly states, Ein Som’khin al hanes. We do not rely on miracles. Meaning, we must take responsibility for things on the assumption that miracles will not happen.
And so I urge us once again to think about the especially deadly union of people who seek to do great harm with weapons designed to do great harm. And I urge us, as we did at a recent rally in Ielpi Park, to advocate for sensible gun laws, like those in Israel, Japan, much of Europe, which can decrease the extent of the harm that hateful people can do.
The last thing I want to talk about is the importance of unity. Within the Jewish community, I urge us to unite against hateful acts directed toward Jews and others. We should spend less energy arguing over which forms of antisemitism and hatred are the most lethal and more energy on fighting all of it, whatever the source.
I also urge us to find allies in other communities. To find Christians, Muslims, people of other faiths and no religious faith who believe that a human being has a right to get up in the morning and go to pray, or go to school, or go to a concert, without being gunned down.
וכפר בעדו ובעד ביתו ובעד כל קהל ישראל V’khiper ba’ado uv’ad beito uv’ad kol k’hal yisra’el. The kohen would atone for himself, for his family, and for all of Israel. What is atonement ultimately? The effort to try to make right that which is wrong.
Amazingly God calls upon all of us to be ממלכת כהנים mam’lekhet kohanim, a kingdom of priests.
And so, following that mandate, we all need to take a look at ourselves. What are we doing to oppose hatred, what are we doing to encourage our families and our communities to oppose hatred - minor and major, local and national?
What are we doing, as individuals, as families, as a community, to bring kaparah, atonement, to a world that is getting more hateful by the day? What are we doing to help make right that which is so wrong?
A week ago, on the last day of Passover, I spoke about how important it is for us to claim religion as a source of affirmation and love, rather than discrimination and violence. Roughly at the time I was speaking, a hateful murderer was preparing to kill as many innocent worshipers as he could at Chabad of Poway in San Diego.
As we learned more details, we discovered that the murderer is 19 years old, had been influenced by white supremacist teachings, and had also been accused of setting fire to a nearby mosque. We discovered that the woman killed, Lori Gilbert Kaye, was fatally shot as she tried to protect Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein who was wounded, along with 8-year old Noya Dayan and IDF veteran Almog Peretz.
How awful that the topic of my sermon last week ended up being tragically relevant once again in this way. Religion as a source of affirmation and love, rather than discrimination and violence.
A woman is dead, leaving behind a husband and a daughter whose lives are shattered. Those in the synagogue who witnessed the shootings and survived, including children, are traumatized.
I am angry, frustrated, despondent.
This happened 6 months after the shootings in Pittsburgh, there have been shootings of Jews in Europe and shootings in churches and mosques the world over.
The Torah this morning speaks of כפרה kapara, of the atonement that the kohen has to do, first for himself, then his family, then the whole community.
I want to challenge us each to consider these concentric circles - first ourselves, then our families, then the community.
What should we be doing, in light of the rise in antisemitic acts, the rise in hate-based acts, overall?
First, we should name and confront antisemitism for what it is. We should recognize all of the places that it’s coming from, right and left, and criticize our leaders when they fail to call it out unambiguously.
The NY Times overseas edition recently printed an antisemitic cartoon. It featured President Trump as a blind man being led by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, himself depicted as a service dog leading the blind man along. As Bret Stephens and others have pointed out, the cartoon goes well beyond merely being critical of the prime minister and the president by using longstanding anti Semitic stereotypes. The Jewish PM is depicted as a dog, the Jew pretends to be the servant but is the true master, sneakily taking over.
In an article that appeared shortly after the cartoon was featured, Bret Stephens wrote the following: “The problem with the cartoon isn’t that its publication was a willful act of anti-Semitism. It wasn’t. The problem is that its publication was an astonishing act of ignorance of Anti-Semitism - and that, at a publication that is otherwise hyper-alert to nearly every conceivable expression of prejudice.” (Stephens, "A Despicable Cartoon in the Times," April 28, 2019)
So the NY Times, and any newspaper that would publish such cartoons, needs to be held accountable, for profound ignorance at best and actual antisemitic intent at worst.
Some of us get more worked up over antisemitism from the left, some of us from the right. Truth is that most of the violent acts against Jews in America now are coming from white supremacists, on the right. But there is certainly anti-Semitism coming from the left, especially in the Europe, but here as well.
By all means we should criticize the NY Times for the cartoon. And Democratic Congresswoman Omar for, among other things, writing about "the Benjamins" exercising undue influence on foreign policy. And Former President Obama for listening to an anti-Semitic preacher for 10 years before leaving that church. But then also, in the name of intellectual and moral honesty, we must criticize Republican Congressman Jordan for using dollar signs instead of S’s when tweeting about Jews and President Trump for, among other things, still failing to acknowledge unambiguously that white supremacists are a threat and that his comments in recognizing good people on both sides of the Charlottesville march were just plain wrong.
Jewish brothers and sisters, let’s wake up. Let’s not be lulled into complacency by those who pedal antisemitism directly, or who soft-pedal it in response, just because this one or that one agrees with our political views and agenda.
Anyone who kills innocent people in the name of religion is a religious terrorist. There are Christian terrorists, Muslim terrorists, Buddhist terrorists. Jewish terrorists. Those who kill innocent people in the name of their religion deserve to be labeled as such and if we have blind spots about that in one direction or another, we need to confront those blind spots.
That was the first call to action and there are two more.
On several occasions, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein spoke painfully, tenderly, passionately about what happened at the Chabad of Poway last Saturday. With his recent wounds visible, he addressed his synagogue in the moments following the shootings and then went to the hospital. In the hospital he delivered a passionate message, describing efforts to protect the congregants, including the children who were present. And he said, unequivocally, that the Jewish people will not be destroyed, that we will carry on.
He said it was a miracle the gun that the terrorist used jammed at a certain point and wouldn’t shoot any more bullets.
I don’t want to talk theology now. But I do know what the Talmud says about miracles. In the portion fo the Talmud dealing with Purim and elsewhere, the Talmud clearly states, Ein Som’khin al hanes. We do not rely on miracles. Meaning, we must take responsibility for things on the assumption that miracles will not happen.
And so I urge us once again to think about the especially deadly union of people who seek to do great harm with weapons designed to do great harm. And I urge us, as we did at a recent rally in Ielpi Park, to advocate for sensible gun laws, like those in Israel, Japan, much of Europe, which can decrease the extent of the harm that hateful people can do.
The last thing I want to talk about is the importance of unity. Within the Jewish community, I urge us to unite against hateful acts directed toward Jews and others. We should spend less energy arguing over which forms of antisemitism and hatred are the most lethal and more energy on fighting all of it, whatever the source.
I also urge us to find allies in other communities. To find Christians, Muslims, people of other faiths and no religious faith who believe that a human being has a right to get up in the morning and go to pray, or go to school, or go to a concert, without being gunned down.
וכפר בעדו ובעד ביתו ובעד כל קהל ישראל V’khiper ba’ado uv’ad beito uv’ad kol k’hal yisra’el. The kohen would atone for himself, for his family, and for all of Israel. What is atonement ultimately? The effort to try to make right that which is wrong.
Amazingly God calls upon all of us to be ממלכת כהנים mam’lekhet kohanim, a kingdom of priests.
And so, following that mandate, we all need to take a look at ourselves. What are we doing to oppose hatred, what are we doing to encourage our families and our communities to oppose hatred - minor and major, local and national?
What are we doing, as individuals, as families, as a community, to bring kaparah, atonement, to a world that is getting more hateful by the day? What are we doing to help make right that which is so wrong?
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