This is a verse from Eichah, a prayer recited on Tisha B'Av, a day when we grieve and mourn the destruction of our Temples in Jerusalem and cry for those killed during that time. But for Jews it is not a novel thing to be killed, to be harassed, to be driven from pillar to post, to be forced to leave a country where they have lived for hundreds of years or denied legitimate ties to their original homeland.
No, it is not a new thing, but could we not wish for it to be done with in this year of 2018? Here in America? Here in the land which was supposed to be the best and permanent champion of the rights of all, including those of Jews?
Evidently not, and certainly not this week so filled with hate that spilled over into death. A black church that could not be broken into and so two black shoppers were killed instead at Kroger's. Bombs sent to opponents of the racist and ranting Demented One. And finally, on Shabbat, a day given over to family, to G-d, to prayer and contemplation, to time with friends, on this very day, at a ceremony celebrating the induction of yet another Jewish soul into the Jewish nation , a murderer, a creep inspired by the hatred that spews forth these days, by the increased rate of over 50% of anti Semitic incidents, at such a time, we Jews are forced to realize that no, we are not yet free of this hatred. No, we are not yet free of those who would kill us, who would wipe us out, deny us even one speck of hope and life. This murderer reminded us of that.
So over these, we cry, but Dear Lord, over how many more? Here in Pittsburgh, a beautiful city with lots of greenery, a place of many new and young families, a city which has reinvented itself from the steel industry to the new industries of the Internet, a city where in a college area there have been Jews living for a long time, here in this city hatred and murder reared its ugly head. An American pogrom. Are we to wait till someone finds a way to create a bigger and more murderous pogrom? Are we to stand by helpless as hatred prevails?
My heart was in my throat, bursting from my body as I heard the news. My son. His wife. Their children. The people I had met in visiting them. Where were they now? Were they safe? Whose shul - synagogue - was it? The calls from friends wondering about this, worrying about this. And the bitter relief felt that no, they had been in lockdown either in their home or in their synagogue, but no relief for the others, for the 11 killed, for those still in danger after surgery. Over these, Oh Lord, we cry, I cried.
Hatred does not come from nowhere. It is a devilish emotion that is encouraged by evil minds, by the knowledge that people can be led into acts of hatred, into mob chants, by people who know this and who have practiced this since time began. Always, the target is the other, whomever that might be. But the shock here is that the leader of these rants of hatred, who chants away the day with memes of hatred, who laughs that no, a massacre might not be enough to stop a rally but a bad hair day might!! This leader - the President of the United States. No longer a dignified office, but rather an office of the mob, of the ravening hordes now allowed to spew forth as well and worse, take action on it. Growing anti Semitism on college campuses. Growing defacing of Jewish institutions with swastikas and anti Semitic curses. Growing threats and why not when the President tells us they are fine people, when he himself ramps up this nastiness, this hatred, uses provocative language, as low class as his language is, to rile up the mob - the very same mob that he states is the 'other' side, the mob that turns into a frightening voice of danger, of murder, of all that is bad in humanity.
So Trump has fostered this and he must take the blame for it, he and his followers, And so must those among the Jewish people who have cheered him on, ignoring his misdeeds, the danger he poses for us. And so must all those who make excuses for him. He must be told, shown, that we will not tolerate this here in America. He and his must be weeded out of the government. We must vote to oust those who support him, who have lost the courage to speak the truth ad admit that they have been following a hate monger, an instigator of murder and attempted murder.
OVER THESE, OH LORD, WE CRY. OVER HOW MANY MORE MUST WE CRY? HOW MANY MORE? HOW MANY MORE?
PLEASE, PEOPLE, LET US PUT ASIDE THIS HATRED, VOTE IT OUT, TEAR IT FROM OUR HEARTS AND SOULS.
LET US BE AMERICA ONCE MORE.
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