10/29/18 - 

I am grieving, as is so much of the country after Saturday's shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. 

When I first heard the news, all I wanted to do was pretend that I hadn’t heard it.  I so desperately wanted to continue my belief that I live in a world where this depth of hate no longer exists; but the world wouldn’t let me ignore what was happening.   My sister was in Pittsburgh attending a memorial service for her mother-in-law when her sister-in-law, a police officer, received the call that a fellow officer had been shot on the scene.  Then a dear friend of mine shared that a childhood friend was killed during the massacre.  My son texted, trying to wrap his head around the painful image that one of the victims was a Holocaust survivor. 

And this morning, I received notice that the violence reached into The Arc’s family as well.  Two kind, gentle souls, brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal, lost their lives as well.  They were served by ACHIEVA, the chapter of The Arc in the Pittsburgh area http://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/10/28/Brothers-Cecil-David-Rosenthal-victims-synagogue-Tree-of-Life-attack-Pittsburgh/stories/201810280185

Elie Weisel said, “Whatever you do in life, remember: Think higher and feel deeper.  It cannot be bad if you do that.”

Though my instincts were to turn away from the horrors of what happened - I couldn’t and we can’t.  We must face it and feel it, and then act.  What can we do?  Come together.  Mourn.  Cry.  Breathe.  And then reject hate in your life and teach your children to do the same.  Open your heart rather than close it.  If we commit to love, we will create a different world.

With prayers for peace and acceptance,

Lori