Shalom Chaverim:
Events of the world have presented us another challenge this week. When three young Muslim people were murdered in Charlotte, NC, as our stomachs turned, we wondered , Is this yet another hate crime?
While we don’t know the details of motivation, we know that the innocent lives that were lost were three people whose Muslim identity was well known. As Jews, we know what it means to be targeted. I hope we can feel a special empathy for our Muslim friends who may again be wondering, Is it safe to be “different” in America?
So I’m writing this brief note to our community to invite you to reach out to your Muslim friends, as you would if this had been a death in one of their families, and tell them you’re sorry. I hope you’ll feel comfortable to join me at Juma prayers in the Muslim Prayer Room (downstairs in Thompson Chapel) at 12:30 on Friday. (Feel welcome to come even if you’re late, or have to leave early; their service runs about ½ hour.)
We can’t simply fix a world that includes madness, nor can we restore lives lost. Jewish lives senselessly lost in Paris, or Muslim lives lost in America, are part of the darkness in which we live. When we let those who are suffering know that we care, we contribute light to dispel that darkness, and express the humanity that ultimately binds us together.
L’shalom,
Bob