It is less than two weeks after the horrific
events at Bondi. I cannot fully grasp, much less describe, the impact on the
families of those murdered; on the orphans, the widows, the bereaved parents
and siblings, the injured, those who experienced the terror at the event and on
all Australian Jews. To all of you, I have no words of comfort. Instead, all I
can offer is my empathy, my care, and for many just a hug.
Last Wednesday, I attended two funerals: those
of inspiring young Rabbi Eli Schlanger – my sister-in-law’s brother, and Rabbi
Yaakov Levitan, the husband of a young woman I have known since she was 10 years
old. She taught in the Sunday school I led when she was a teenager and taught
my children more recently as an adult.
We are all shaken by the sheer horror of the
fact that they were murdered along with 13 others, including 10-year-old
Matilda. I witnessed the grief of bereaved children. The atrocity screams to
the heavens. I have been alternating between hyper-focused work and being
dazed, leaving my car keys …
In addition to my personal connections with
victims and their families, there is the fact that for almost 25 years I have
worked to improve Jewish-Muslim relations. In more recent years, perhaps for a
decade, I began to worry that something like Bondi would happen and I hoped
that my work might prevent it. Alas, it has not.
According to the Torah, in some cases of
murder, the elders of that place must wash their hands and proclaim, “Our hands
have not spilled this blood” (1). The intent of this declaration is that it
follows introspection about what the elders might have done to prevent the
conditions that made murder possible. Did they ensure that visitors were
escorted safely when they left, went on their way? (2).
In the days after the massacre, I asked myself
– briefly - if I could say that my hands were clean, “..that I had not spilled
this blood.” My answer is “Yes. I did what I could based on what I knew and the
opportunities I had.” Unfortunately, in hindsight, it is clear that we had not
ensured conditions to prevent these multiple murders and so much harm to many
others.
Where to from here? There will be various
approaches that leaders and individuals will need to choose from. Indeed, the Torah
reading this week is named, “He approached.” (3)
One interpretation of the word “approached” is
to approach for “war” (4). When innocents are harmed, it is both natural and
appropriate for people to feel anger. A former student asked me what should we do
with the anger? My reply is to channel it. Anger is a gift, if it is harnessed
to right wrongs. It is a curse if it is diffuse and causes harm to innocents
instead of protecting innocents. This is true even if it is well-intentioned.
Anger that is misdirected leads to poor outcomes.
The approaches of peace and conciliation are
also mentioned by the commentaries (5). An example of this is the celebration of
the hero, Ahmed El Ahmed, a Muslim man from Syria, who risked his life to save
other lives. My brother Mendel and I visited him. Mendel gave him a personally
and spiritually significant gift. I said only two words to him. “Yes” in
response to his humble question about the expressions of gratitude, “Do I
deserve this?” “Yes”, I said emphatically. I added the word “Shukran”, the
Arabic word for “thank you”.
There is the approach of comforting the mourner
(6). Several Imams came to offer their condolences to the senior
judge of the Sydney Beth Din (Jewish religious court), Rabbi Yehoram Ulman,
whose son-in-law was killed. On the Imams Council’s Facebook page, they have
the message that “the grief, distress, and deep sense of insecurity felt within
the Australian Jewish community are fully acknowledged, and our solidarity and
compassion are unequivocally affirmed.” (7)
In an interview on Channel 10, I shared how Australians
of all walks of life have rallied, as we have before in times of tragedy. The
outpouring of sympathy from people of all faiths and none has been non-stop. A Catholic
bishop, many Muslim friends and leaders, and a former Together For Humanity
colleague - and a Muslim - who worked with us two decades ago. To all who
expressed support, from across Australia and as far away as Iraq, thank you, shukran.
A final interpretation of the one Biblical word
“approached” is to examine (8). For many people, this is a time of confusion and
examination. We are asking how we find our way to a sense of safety and
cohesion. How do we properly understand our neighbours from other faith
backgrounds? Their intentions toward us? How do we navigate the advice of the Proverbs
that one heart responds to the sentiments of the heart of another (9). How do
we navigate the advice of the sages to “respect him and suspect him” (10). It
is not going to be easy, but that is part of the journey of trust.
For me, alongside the grief, I draw inspiration from acts of courage, from Ahmed and from Chaya, one of the injured
girls who risked her life walking into the line of fire and getting shot so she
could shield two younger children, and the beautiful spirits of the departed.
We will not be defeated, we respond to all forms of hatred, including but not
limited to, antisemitism, terrorism and dehumanisation, with a fierce
determination to defeat hate. Let us instead approach each other with
curiosity, to really know one another.
Sources
1)
Deuteronomy
21:7
2)
Talmud
Sotah 45b
3)
“Vayigash”,
Genesis 44:18 and on to 47:27
4)
Bereshit
Rabba 93
5)
Bereshit
Rabba ibid
6)
Bereshit
Rabba ibid
8)
Midrash
Hagadol, and Chemdat Yamim, cited in Torah Shlaima, p. 1631, note 49
9)
Proverbs
27:19
10) Popular saying based on
Derech Eretz Rabba 5
