'Heartbroken' South Orange Rabbi: Enough Hateful Rhetoric

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - Hundreds gathered for a vigil in Spiotta Park to preay for those impacted by the shooting in the synagogue in Pittsburgh Saturday, and Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel’s senior Rabbi Daniel Cohen shared his thoughts with the crowd assembled.

Below are his unedited remarks in their entirety:

"Rabbi Daniel Cohen's inspiring words from the vigil in Spiotta Park in South Orange last night.

"I am heartbroken that, once again, we come together as a community after hatred has shattered countless lives. But I am also uplifted and grateful to each of you for being here, to our local leaders who truly represent all residents of our community and the local law enforcement who, yet again, responded with care and support to help safeguard our community members.

Among the words shared yesterday by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, were the following.

'The slaughter of our brothers and sisters praying in their holy synagogue this Shabbat in Pittsburgh breaks our collective heart.

The murders took place during a prayer service in the Tree of Life congregation where, like synagogues all around the world, they were reading from Genesis recounting how Abraham welcomed perfect strangers into his tent. How painful and ironic that we live in a time when we have to temper our loving welcome of strangers as we protect our communities from violence and hate.

This time the Jewish community was targeted, in what may be the worst anti-Semitic attack in American history. Other times it has been African-Americans. Or Sikhs. Or Muslims. Or members of the LGBTQ community. Or too many others. What we know is this: the fabric holding our nation together is fraying. It is our task to ensure that it does not come apart.

We mourn as one people along with all people of conscience.'

Rabbi Jacobs is correct. Tonight we mourn as one people along with all people of conscience.

And tonight I am here, as an American, as a Jew and as a rabbi, to say the following:

Enough.
Enough guns.
Enough hateful rhetoric.
Enough abdication of leadership from those who were elected to serve all Americans.
Enough.

And tonight I say, without apology, that there is no Resistance. There are American citizens exercising their/our Constitutional right to speak out.

There is no Resistance. There’s no small group sitting on the fringes of society offering empty critiques of the culture of hatred that is being fueled at the highest levels of the government.

There is no Resistance. There are people who know that our national melting pot is stronger as a result of our diversity.

There is no Resistance. There are Jews, Christians, Muslims, Atheists who are committed to equal protections for everyone regardless of race, religion, sexuality and sexual identity.

There is no Resistance. There are people who are tired of elected officials who do not understand that it is their job to represent all Americans.

There is no Resistance. There are people who demand sane gun laws, respectful discourse and a rule of law that is tempered by compassion.

We are not the Resistance. We are Americans. We are sick of the ugly name calling, divisive rhetoric and legalized bias. We are sick of it. And we vote."

(Photo courtesy of Mindy Schreff, TSTI)

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