ATLANTA — Sunlight streamed into Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs during a Sunday afternoon vigil, imparting a radiant glow as Rabbi Bradley G. Levenberg called for an end to gun violence and anti-Semitism in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue.
Much of Jewish tradition, Levenberg said, is formed around the written word, and finding meaning and comfort in scripture. But a day like Saturday can rob people of the ability to find meaning and comfort.
“It’s hard to believe one can still be surprised, have our breath taken away, still be shocked by what can happen,” he said. “But today, here we are.”
The crowd of a few hundred was young and old, from infants to seniors, undoubtedly like the Saturday morning Shabbat service at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill community where a shooter opened fire, killing 11 and wounding several others.
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Levenberg thanked the city of Sandy Springs and the city’s police department, which contacted Temple Sinai’s security team after the massacre. Outside, an armed security team directed traffic and held open doors, greeting attendees.
A few dozen attendees represented other faiths and Jewish synagogues, and Levenberg thanked those present “who know our brothers and sisters are hurting.” One-by-one, they called the names of the dead:
Joyce Fienberg.
Richard Gottfried.
Rose Mallinger.
Jerry Rabinowitz.
Cecil Rosenthal.
David Rosenthal.
Bernice Simon.
Sylvan Simon.
Daniel Stein.
Melvin Wax.
Irving Younger.
In song and call-and-response prayers, the attendees called for God’s healing and for government leaders to act.
“Most certainly thoughts and prayers are necessary,” Levenberg said, but aren’t sufficient on their own. He called upon the congregation to ensure “our thoughts and prayers are wedded with action.”
- J. Scott Trubey
On Sunday night, Channel 2's Michael Seiden visited the Congregation Shearith Israel where religious leaders from all different backgrounds paid tribute to the victims.
"I come to you, not to weep for you, but we weep for you. We are one," said Min. Bronson E. Woods of Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The crowd of more than 300 also heard from Pittsburgh natives, like Jake Schwartz, who grew up in Squirrel Hill, where he attended Shabbat services at Tree of Life synagogue.
Schwartz said he had a very close relationship with two of the murdered victims.
"The idea that something like this could happen in a sanctuary, which is where you go, has been a struggle for me," he said.
The list of services and vigils scheduled in metro Atlanta is growing, according to information from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.
Service/vigil at Congregation B’nai Torah, 6:15 p.m.
Minyan/memorial service at Congregation Etz Chaim, 6:30 p.m.
Memorial service at Young Israel of Toco Hills, 7 p.m.
Memorial service at Congregation Or Hadash, 7:30 p.m.
Interfaith prayer vigil at The Temple, in the chapel, in conjunction with Outcry, 12:30 p.m.
For the latest updates, visit https://jewishatlanta.org/unitedwestand/
The American Jewish Committee (also known as AJC) is promoting #ShowUpForShabbat next Friday and Saturday. The new nationwide initiative is aimed at filling synagogues across the country next weekend. For more details: http://AJC.org/ShowUpForShabbat.
“I encourage all members of the Jewish community and all people of conscience across our country to join me,” said AJC CEO David Harris in a statement released Sunday. “What could be a more fitting response to the terror in Pittsburgh? We are not afraid. We are not going to think twice about affirming our identity and faith. We are not alone.”
Cox Media Group
