IN MEMORY OF STEVEN SOTLOFF

     The following is an excerpt from a longer article written by a lifelong friend of the martyred Steven Sotloff, another victim of barbarity constantly displayed by the members and adherents of ISIS. May his memory be a blessing and may we always remember him. The article was written by Danielle  Berrin and was sent to me from the Jewish Journal and is posted as well on the blog the Hollywood Jew.
Please take a few minutes to read and think about this young man, James Foley and David Haines who now awaits his murder and always keep in mind the memory of Daniel Pearl.

    

Murdered journalist Steven Sotloff was a hero – and my friend

by Danielle Berrin

  .....

     On the morning of Sept. 2, the 7^th of Elul, the news broke that ISIS had kept their poisonous promise and beheaded Sotloff, just like they had done with journalist James Foley two weeks prior. My heart broke for my friend Steven, for the terror, fear and anxiety he must have felt all year long; for the stories and insights he must have been burning to write but was instead left bereft. And my heart broke for his family, especially for his mother Shirley, whose video plea less than a week before his death could not convince ISIS to act with even a speck of mercy. “As a mother… I ask you to use your authority to spare his life and to follow the example set by the Prophet Muhammad who protected People of the Book…”
I pray that somewhere in that desperate wilderness, some time during that hopeless wandering, Steven found strength and comfort. Mima'amakim keraticha adonai ... Out of the depths I call to you, hear my voice ...
I don’t know if God answered Steven. All I know is that Steven had Godliness within him: he was a searching, sensitive, inquisitive soul and a hero. I know that his blood, like all Jewish blood, will be remembered. And that if his death awakens the world to the evil proliferating among those who killed him, then maybe, just maybe, there can be redemption.