I’ve been at a loss for words in the wake of the tragedy that occurred in the final hours of Passover, the Time of our Freedom as it is called in our liturgy, in Poway, California. First of all, any terrorist act like this, the shooting of totally innocent people, is beyond comprehension. This evil man took Ms. Lori Gilbert-Kaye from the world for no reason at all. By all accounts, she was a beacon of light, a credit to the Jewish community. She died a hero and a martyr.
Second of all, this is the second incident of this nature – a shooting at a synagogue – in the United States within a year. I am thankful for the many miracles that kept the death toll from being more catastrophic. One of those miracles was that one of the congregants was armed and skilled in self-defense. Indeed, nationwide, many synagogues are already putting security measures in place, including having armed guards, armed congregants, or a mix of the two. This is a trend that is likely to grow, I am afraid. I am sad that it is necessary. I am thankful that so many of our community are becoming vigilant to the reality of their situation.
Third of all, the shooting occurred at a Chabad shul. I pray at a Chabad shul every week, Bnei Ruven in West Rogers Park. As a Chasid in the Chabad-Lubavitch tradition, this event hits me close to home.
So I hope I can be forgiven for how long it has taken me to respond to these terrible events. The tragedy is numbing.
I have tried throughout my presidency to measure my words, and to lean towards saying nothing rather than saying something that could offend. I think the time for silence has passed, and the time for being measured is at an end.
Whenever something like this happens, one of the first things we collectively do is to figure out who is responsible. The media, in its wisdom, has decided that it is against public policy to publicize the name of perpetrators if these events. References to him by name, therefore, have been sporadic. I have no love for that policy. It makes it too easy to begin the search for responsible parties somewhere other than where it ought to start. The name of the shooter is John Earnest, may his memory be blotted out. He left behind a letter explaining his intentions. That letter, like so much of the antisemitism we’ve become used to, professes allegiance to no political movement. Its only ideology was antisemitic, plain and simple.
But a broader question can be asked: what is fueling our nation’s newfound love of one of the world’s oldest prejudices?
I think it is no coincidence that almost at the same time as this terrible event, the New York Times published an antisemitic cartoon, depicting President Trump, wearing a yarmulke and Chassidic garb, holding a leash connected to a large-nosed Prime Minister Netanyahu, with a dog’s body. The image does not even pretend to be anything other than antisemitic. When called to account, the Times initially issued a statement acknowledging their error, but pointedly not apologizing. Only several hours later, the newspaper apologized, and offered vague promises that it would not happen again. Then they replaced the image with another image that was less antisemitic by mere degrees.
With respect to the Times’ apology, I do not accept it. Between the Times’ antisemitic cartoon and the delayed apology, I think they were being more honest when they published the former.
The cartoon was not an outlier in 2019. More and more, displays of antisemitism purporting to be criticism of Israel have become normalized in our culture. In some cases, even the pretense of criticizing Israel is absent.
Another hero, and victim, of John Earnest was Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. Before being taken away from the scene of the attack, Rabbi Goldstein lead a chant of Am Yisroel Chai – the People of Israel Live! Indeed, we’ve faced scarier oppressors than the little man who perpetrated this crime upon our community. And indeed, we’re used to the likes of the New York Times, with its antisemitic cartoons. But we should be under no illusions about our responsibility to one another in light of this growing darkness. We must stand strong against hatred. We must support one another.
Traditionally, I’ve coupled these statements with some call to action that is specifically Jewish in nature. And so I will do so here as well. The world is a little darker because of this evil. The attack occurred on the Sabbath. Let us bring light to the world this upcoming Sabbath. Here in Chicago, Sabbath candles should be lit this Friday at or before 7:31 pm. I invite everyone reading this to add in light, and add in mitzvos, to fight back some of the darkness.
Yours in solidarity,
Jonathan Lubin