“I know that many of us are afraid. We gather today in memory, in solidarity, but also in defiance. To be a Jew is, itself, an act of defiance. We will not cower. Be proud to be a Jew: you are connected to something special and precious – Am Yisrael, the people of Israel – the only Western civilization to have survived ancient days.”
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reassured and inspired the New York Jewish community at the first Shabbat service after the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 worshippers were killed.
Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Unites New Yorkers Against Hate
“You cannot isolate intolerant speech on any particular community. If you direct harsh, coarse rhetoric toward a certain group — say Mexicans — it infects our entire society and it gives license to a coarseness and hoarseness of speech to the groups that are perceived as the ‘other.’”
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch's remarks during Sunday's Kristallnacht commemorative concert are quoted in an am New York article on the community's response to the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh.
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Responds to the Shooting in Pittsburgh
We are still numbed with grief and shock by the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The Jewish community has always sought to process grief communally. In that spirit, on Friday night the community will gather for Shabbat services in the sanctuary, and Rabbi Hirsch will address the events of the past week.
We will also hold family services for those with children in grades K-2 and 3-5), and babysitting (for children ages 2-5) will be available by advance registration.
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue has established a Pittsburgh Jewish Community Solidarity Fund, which will help support the Jewish community there following this tragedy. Please consider making a donation. In the coming weeks our congregational leadership will make decisions on how to allocate the funds contributed, and inform the community.
The Stephen Wise clergy and educators are here for you in times of need. Please reach out to us if you would like to talk. We look forward to seeing you this week; may we find strength in each other.
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Our Early Childhood Center provides children ages 18 months through five years with a nurturing, welcoming, and stimulating environment, with a philosophy based on the Reggio Emilia approach to education, which values children as rich with wonder and knowledge. Classroom experiences are infused with Jewish values and traditions.
