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A Message from Our Rabbi<br />
Pittsburgh<br />
Sermon Shabbat 11.03.18<br />
Last Shabbat morning around<br />
11:00am a volunteer whispered in<br />
my ear “there was an attack on a<br />
synagogue in Pittsburgh, they are<br />
saying at least 4 people are dead”<br />
I received the news like a sword in<br />
my chest!<br />
I have never been to the state of<br />
Pennsylvania, but I was born in<br />
Buenos Aires and the AMIA, the<br />
Jewish Federation, was bombed<br />
there and the Israeli Embassy was<br />
bombed there leaving between both<br />
attacks more than 110 dead and<br />
countless injured.<br />
And I revived all those terrible<br />
feelings of anger, impotence and<br />
sadness.<br />
I did not stay for Kiddush.<br />
I left for home as I wanted to be<br />
with my family and watch the news.<br />
Yes, the news on Shabbat!<br />
During this past week I was shocked<br />
by our sense of shock and surprise!<br />
This has happened countless times<br />
before! In recent years, right here in<br />
America:<br />
- Emanuel African Methodist<br />
Episcopal Church, South Carolina<br />
… nine black church members<br />
massacred by Dylann Roof.<br />
- Al Masjid Masque, New York City<br />
… the Imam and his assistant fatally<br />
shot on Aug 13, 2016.<br />
- <strong>Nov</strong> 5, 2017, 26 people killed<br />
at First Baptist Church in<br />
Southerland, TX.<br />
- Sept 25, 2017, one killed and<br />
seven injured at the Burnette<br />
Chapel Church of Christ,<br />
Tennessee.<br />
It has happened again and<br />
again! So how come now,<br />
suddenly, we are shocked? Why<br />
weren’t we shocked enough<br />
when those victims were black?<br />
Or Christians? Or as in an<br />
Orlando bar where the victims<br />
were Gay?<br />
ARE WE REALLY SURPRISED????<br />
We don’t know that hate speech<br />
leads to hate crimes???<br />
And yet I have been troubled<br />
this past week. While I was<br />
pleased with the response of<br />
the community when we called<br />
for a community vigil the other<br />
night, I found myself thinking<br />
about Charleston. Where was<br />
our voice when Dylan Roof<br />
opened fire in a church and<br />
killed nine African Americans<br />
three years ago? Sure, we shook<br />
our heads in dismay, rabbis gave<br />
sermons and people said, “How<br />
terrible,” but where were the<br />
vigils? Where were the local<br />
protests? And last year, when a<br />
gunman opened fire at Marjory<br />
Stoneman Douglas High School<br />
RABBI<br />
MARIO ROJZMAN<br />
in Parkland, why didn’t more of us<br />
take to the streets and challenge<br />
public leaders regarding gun<br />
control? Why did it take an attack<br />
on a synagogue to motivate us to<br />
speak out and organize a vigil?<br />
I am not foolish, I know why we are<br />
shocked. It is because it almost hits<br />
home:<br />
We are a conservative shul, Tree of<br />
Life is a conservative shul.<br />
We gather Saturday mornings at<br />
9:30, they gather at 9:45.<br />
Continues on page 44<br />
Winter Edition <strong>2018</strong>/2019 l Kislev 5779<br />
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