Jun 13, 2016

Greater Miami Jewish Federation Statement Regarding Orlando Mass Killing

On behalf of the Officers, Board of Directors and Staff of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, we express our collective feelings of anguish and outrage at the horrific and hateful attack which took place in the overnight hours between Saturday night, June 11 and Sunday morning, June 12 in Orlando.

More than that, however, it was also an attack specifically against members of the LGBT community who too often are the victims of acts of verbal and physical abuse and violence born out of hateful elements in our society that frequently go unchecked. As Jews – ourselves the historic object of such malevolence – it is inconceivable that we would stand silently by without raising our voices . . . in rage against the evil forces in our world that are the sources of such hatred, and also in solidarity and sympathy with the victims of the Orlando attack, their friends and their families.

We are living in a time in which expressions of hatred, blame and intolerance are becoming commonplace and increasingly accepted as part of normal discourse. The lethal doctrine of Islamic Jihad is a scourge on every part of the globe and acts of terror like this call on all of us to be resolute in our fight against terror and resilient as we commit to maintain our daily lives even in the face of the threat it represents. At the same time, however, we must also be careful, lest our reactions to such attacks and the frustration we feel in confronting them cause us to generalize the contempt and anger we have for the perpetrators to include entire groups of decent people who share our worldview of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. That outcome would be the ultimate victory of evil over good.

This attack took place during the Jewish festival of Shavuot, the holiday that commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The classic text that is studied traditionally at this season is the Book of Ruth. It relates the tale of Ruth, the Moabite woman who avows her commitment to her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, and to the Jewish nation by averring, “Where you go, I shall go. Your God shall be my God.” It is a tale of compassion, hesed, and one of inclusion and welcome. Ruth, the convert to Judaism, turns out to be the grandmother of King David and the putative progenitor of the messiah in days to come. What an important reminder to us all in the face of this tragedy about the importance of responding to tragedy with the discipline of kindness and embrace.

We extend heartfelt condolences to those who were close to the victims of the Pulse attack along with our wishes for recovery – of body and soul – of those who sustained physical or emotional injury. May we all merit to live in an era when all bigotry and hatred are eliminated from our world and our lives.

Also, as an additional note, we are all aware of the extent to which our family in Israel has endured countless examples of terror and hateful violence. While so many countries in the world criticize the United States and its role in world affairs, here’s how Israel expressed its sympathies and solidarity with the US and the LGBT community. These are pictures of the Tel Aviv City Hall on Sunday night.