Sharing Hope for Greater Love and Compassion

I was heartbroken to hear of the shooting at the Islamic Center in San Diego on Monday, where three people were murdered. That this attack took place at a house of worship, where 140 children were at school, is particularly jarring. All people in our country must be safe to come together, pray, and study in their mosques, synagogues, churches, and other places of religious gathering without fear of violence. Period.

We send prayers of comfort and strength to the families and community of the men who died, as well as to the Muslims in our country whose sense of security is once again shaken. Shootings like this also reverberate deeply in the Jewish community as we are reminded of all too many attacks on synagogues, including a deadly shooting in Poway, just 30 minutes from San Diego, in 2019.

This week, the Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins on Thursday night. Shavuot is the day on which we celebrate receiving the Torah, our most sacred text. We also read the story of Ruth, which the Jewish tradition says is all about chesed – love and kindness. As Jews around the world celebrate, I pray we move toward a country and world of greater love and compassion, where all people are safe to practice their faith or religion and are treated with dignity and respect.