April
18-19, 2014 / 19 Nisan 5774 / Day 4 of the Omer
Shabbat
Chol HaMo’ed Pesach
Torah
– Exodus 33:12-34:26 / Haftarah – Ezekiel 37:1-14
“Upstanders
against Terror”
Dear Friends,
We are all shocked and saddened by the tragic loss
of life resulting from this week's shootings at the Jewish Community Center and
Village Shalom Retirement Community in Overland Park, Kansas. Unfortunately,
this is another example of the senseless violence against innocent lives
amongst the Jewish people and all the peoples of the earth. While it appears that the shooter, a
long-time KKK leader, was trying to kill Jews, all three of his victims were in
fact Christian.
We at Shir Hadash have a strong connection to the
Kansas City Jewish community. Our third Torah scroll, which survived the
Holocaust, came to us as a donation from the Shir Hadash congregation of
Overland Park, Kansas. I have reached out to them on behalf of our synagogue
to offer our prayers and words of comfort and support. We all feel this
tragedy deep in our hearts.
This week, as we celebrate our annual festival of
liberation from Egyptian bondage, we are profoundly reminded that there is
still so much work to be done in the pursuit of true deliverance for all from acts
of terror here and abroad. As we recount the story of our people's journey from
slavery to freedom, we recognize that there are still 'Egypts' of hated and
intolerance that trouble our world and sorely need our attention. We
learn from the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center that it is
precisely at moments like these that we cannot be bystanders to such horrible acts.
We must be upstanders for safety, justice, compassion, and love.
This Passover, let us keep the victims of the shootings, their families,
and the entire Kansas City community - Jewish and non-Jewish - in our prayers.
May the Eternal One who causes peace to reign in
the highest of heavens, bring peace to us, all Israel, and all who dwell on
earth. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom,
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