10/29/2018
From Executive Director Bee Moorhead:
This weekend, you probably received more than a few emails and social media posts about the horrific murders at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
You might have watched news stories about the law enforcement response to the shooting, which was both heroic and strategic.
You may have heard an interview with Tree of Life's Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who explained that he was able to respond effectively because of "active shooter" training he received earlier this year.
And in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and other cities around Texas, you might have attended a vigil where faith leaders and elected officials called for solidarity, saying, "An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us."
Now you want to take action...but how?
The murderer in this weekend's shooting was motivated, apparently, by the Jewish community's solidarity with refugees. HIAS is one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies that partner with the United States government to resettle refugees as part of the U.S. refugee admissions program. The majority of these agencies are faith-based. And that's no surprise: all of our faith traditions command us to "welcome the stranger and protect the refugee."
In the Los Angeles Times, former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Journal Rob Eshman writes, "The Bible enjoins us not to forget that we were once strangers, and many of us, the majority, have not forgotten. Now it is our task to continue the fight, so that the tree of life may flourish."
The attack on Tree of Life is the latest in a growing wave of events rooted in hatred, and the second attack in less than a week on a house of worship. Those who sought to do harm have had their intended consequences: they have terrorized communities. But instead of hiding from the horror, those who were targeted have raised their voices and encouraged us to join them.
Here are three steps to get you started:
1. Find out about your faith tradition's support for refugees. Does your faith group relate to one of the nine national agencies? How could your congregation get involved?
2. Find out about refugees in your town. Are there refugee children in your schools? Does the community welcome and support them? How can you help?
3. Tell someone about what you find out. Visit your legislator's district office, ask for two minutes at the start of a meeting, or lead a Sunday school class.
Each day, it seems, we are called to resist the pressures of our trying political times that threaten to rend the fabric of our communities. Last night at the vigil in Austin, dozens of clergy from many faiths came to support the Jewish community in an hour of need. When several mosques across the state were vandalized in recent months, communities of many faiths came together to protect their Muslim brothers and sisters and rebuild. Acts like these mean to divide and destroy us, but they can't destroy our commitment to standing together with all who are marginalized and targeted by hatred and violence.
