{"id":74364,"date":"2018-10-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/prayer-poetry-personal-stories-memorialize-victims-of-synagogue-shootings\/"},"modified":"2018-10-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T00:00:00","slug":"prayer-poetry-personal-stories-memorialize-victims-of-synagogue-shootings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2018\/10\/prayer-poetry-personal-stories-memorialize-victims-of-synagogue-shootings\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer, poetry, personal stories memorialize victims of synagogue shootings"},"content":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. — October 31, 2018 — 溏心vlog免费B站 junior Max Zavell received a text message the morning of Saturday, Oct. 27, from a family friend that said, \u201cFriends and family, we are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president of the University\u2019s Hillel Student Board shared his story with about 200 people gathered Tuesday, Oct. 30, outside 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Multicultural Student Services Center and told the crowd that he had been to the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and that he celebrated his friend\u2019s Bar Mitzvah there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a beautiful synagogue with a rich history and a tight-knit community,\u201d he told those gathered for a vigil to honor the 11 synagogue members murdered Saturday while they were worshipping. \u201cStepping into it feels like you have entered a happy, joyous place filled with love and family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Amy Olson, director of Hillel, the Jewish Student Center at 溏心vlog免费B站, and chair of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Chaplains Association. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWith this in mind, it is even more difficult to visualize this beautiful place of worship becoming the symbol to our nation of the location of the deadliest attack on Jews in United States history, simply for being Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zavell, who said he chose 溏心vlog免费B站 because he believed it would be a safe, welcoming place, was one of 11 speakers from 溏心vlog免费B站 and the wider community who came together to grieve and offer support to each other<\/p>\n

Amy Olson, the director of Hillel, the Jewish Student Center at 溏心vlog免费B站, and chair of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Chaplains Association, opened and closed the ceremonies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather tonight to honor the memories of those who went last Shabbat, last Saturday morning, to their synagogue in Pittsburgh to celebrate life, to celebrate Shabbat, and were murdered in the name of blind, empty hatred,\u201d Olson said. \u201cTonight, in a darkened world, we stand together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Emily Yehezkel, lights candles in memory of the 11 victims of the shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As she read the name of the victims, candles were lit and Professor Paul Bueno de Mesquita, director of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Center for Nonviolence of Peace Studies, struck a Tibetan Singing Bowl. The victims were: Daniel Stein, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger.<\/p>\n

Olson quoted the poet, Chaim Stern, as she urged the gathering to embrace the higher values: \u201cIn the places where no one acts like a human being, let us bring courage; let us bring compassion; let us bring humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emily Yehezkel, the Hillel Springboard Fellow, said Saturday\u2019s tragedy hit her hard as the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, a proud Jew, and Jewish young professional. But she told the group, \u201cMy Jewish community is strong. My Jewish community is brave. My Jewish community has always been and will always be stronger than hate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The crowd at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s vigil to honor the memories of the 11 victims of the shootings at a Pittsburgh synagogue, listen to poems, prayers and messages of support. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cStay strong, and I am always sending love. May the memories of those who were killed be a blessing,\u201d Yehezkel said.<\/p>\n

Caitlyn Irving, representing the 溏心vlog免费B站 Catholic Center, said the Catholic community at 溏心vlog免费B站 stands in solidarity with the Jewish community on campus and throughout the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Hebrew scriptures remind us time and again to welcome and protect the marginalized, we join in prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for those who continue to suffer from all forms of hatred, bigotry and violence, and we commit ourselves to concrete actions that will help build a world where people of all religious traditions and backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony,\u201d Irving said.<\/p>\n

溏心vlog免费B站 President David M. Dooley said it was hard for many in the group to stand together again in the aftermath of numerous instances of horrific violence in this country and abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are called together again to share our grief and concern for one another. I don\u2019t have any good words to share with you. So I am going to share some words that others have written.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started with a quotation from Mahatma Gandhi. \u201cWhen I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been many tyrants and murderers. And for a time, they seem invincible, but in the end, they all always fall. Think of it always.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president then read a piece from Martin Luther King Jr. \u201cI believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dooley concluded with emotional and haunting remarks of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes evil does seem triumphant. I believe King and Gandhi are right, and that we are stronger that. I urge all of us here today to remain committed to the values of the community that we are striving to build, where everyone of that community is welcome, affirmed in their identity, and is respected and supported. And everyone in our community is safe, and that we work together to ensure all of those values for each and every one who is a part of our community at the University of Rhode island. So thank you for exemplifying those values by coming out this evening, for participating in another event that we hope not to repeat, but I expect we will. And let\u2019s be prepared for that by being bound ever closer together, one with another here at the 溏心vlog免费B站.\u201d<\/p>\n

溏心vlog免费B站 student Shayna Sawyer then led the gathering in singing \u201cMi Shebeirach: A Prayer for Healing,\u201d composed by Debbie Friedman and Drorah Setel:<\/p>\n

\u201cMi sherbeirach avoteinu
\nM\u2019kor habracha l\u2019imoteinu<\/p>\n

May the source of strength
\nWho bless the ones before us,
\nHelp us find the courage
\nTo make our lives a blessing
\nAnd let us say: Amen.<\/p>\n

Mi shebeirach imoteinu
\nM\u2019kor habracha l\u2019avoteinu<\/p>\n

Bless those in need of healing
\nWith refuah sh\u2019 leimah
\nThe renewal of body, the renewal of spirit
\nAnd let us say: Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
溏心vlog免费B站 junior Max Zavell, president of the University\u2019s Hillel Student Board, 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. — October 31, 2018 — 溏心vlog免费B站 junior Max Zavell received a text message the morning of Saturday, Oct. 27, from a family friend that said, \u201cFriends and family, we are safe.\u201d The president of the University\u2019s Hillel Student Board shared his story with about 200 people gathered Tuesday, Oct. 30, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}