‘Holy Place Defiled’: Mourning the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims

This week on Interfaith Voices:

Interfaith vigils across the nation mourn Pittsburgh synagogue victims

The Jewish community across the country continues to reel from the violence in Pittsburgh, and leaders of religious institutions and organizations are responding in different ways to meets their congregants’ and members’ needs. People from other faiths and those unaffiliated with a tradition are also showing their support for their Jewish neighbors by joining them at vigils nationwide to grieve collectively. WAMU reporter and editor Carmel Delshad describes one interfaith gathering in DuPont Circle in Washington D.C.

Carmel Delshad, editor and reporter at WAMU

 

Leaders of Jewish advocacy groups debate accountability, what politicizes a tragedy

The deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue a week before the midterm elections has led to a debate on which types of responses are appropriate and which politicize a tragedy. And it’s also sparked a serious question that’s exposing divides within the Jewish community: if a climate of anti-Semitism is growing, who’s contributing to it? To what extent can an elected leader’s words contribute to violence? And what, if any, responsibility do they hold? We spoke with three representatives of Jewish organizations about the issue in separate interviews to get a variety of views.

Rabbi Rachel Grant Meyer, director for education and community engagement at HIAS
Rabbi Avi Shafron, director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America, a national Orthodox advocacy organization
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block,  the Washington director of the progressive Bend the Arc Jewish Action group

 

Building a sisterhood to combat hate against Jews, Muslims

In the aftermath of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, we learn about one longstanding effort between Jewish and Muslim women to stand together in solidarity against prejudice. The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom is a national network that seeks to connect Muslim and Jewish women in an effort to end anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish sentiments.

Sheryl Olitzky, executive director of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom
Atiya Aftab, board chair of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom


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