Once Again – Responding to Hate

Once Again – Responding to Hate
Rabbi Mo Salth

Once again, I awoke to an upsetting email. This time it was Thursday morning. The email was entitled “this morning’s news” and soon I exited my sleepiness and entered confusion as my mind grappled with the words I was reading: “murders outside the Capital Jewish museum”.

I searched the news and learned of the horrifying details, two young, bright lives, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, had been murdered outside a Jewish museum in Washington, DC, that was hosting an event for young Jewish professionals.

And I felt a combination of devastation, heartbreak, and anger.

In these days since, I have heard all of saying the words “heart break” again and again. We, as a Central community, extend our condolences to Sarah and Yaron’s families and their colleagues at the Israeli embassy and those at the AJC, organizers of the event, on Wednesday evening. We mourn the death of two extraordinary, beautiful people whose lives had only begun to take flight. If you want to extend your personal condolences to Sarah and Yaron’s families, you can do so by going to the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center website at RAC.org.

Yes, once again,

We have had to find a way to begin to process the emotions that come with the reality that Sarah and Yaron were murdered in cold blood because they were Jewish, because they were connected to Israel.

Once again, we Jews have had to state the obvious and condemn a hateful, violent, antisemitic murder. For those describing it as something else, this is what it was.

An attack like this can leave us feeling alone and isolated, but we are not alone. I am grateful that once again, it is not only Jews who have denounced this horror, as there has been an outpouring of condemnation from friends and neighbors, from American Christians and Muslims and their leaders, alongside local and government leaders from around the United States and around the world. Attacks like this against Jews must not be tolerated by anyone, and we are grateful that our non-Jewish neighbors are standing by us.

An attack like this may result in us feeling helpless and debilitated, but there are things we can do.

We can and should call on the organizations, officials, and our friends who have condemned this murder to remain with us in our fight against antisemitism. A fight that has become all too necessary as attacks against Jews have increased in our city and around the world. In fact, the ADL has reported that in the United States, anti-Semitic incidents are at an all-time high[1]. This week, NYC City Public Schools Chancellor made it clear that working against antisemitism is not only about Jews, it is about everyone. It is, as she said, all of us “fighting like hell for humanity.”

This week’s Torah portion contains a chilling section during which God describes to the Israelites curses that could befall them if they do not follow the commandments within the Torah. While I am more of a carrot than a stick type of guy, I have always understood this section of the Torah to be describing, not the threat of divine punishment, but the obvious negative consequences of living in a society that ignores commandments to not murder and to the havoc that could exist in a society that does not prioritize taking care of its most vulnerable and loving its neighbor.

Once again,

The Torah, this week, in rather dramatic fashion, is saying to our ancestors and to us, we have to take care of each other, we have to protect each other – if we do, blessings will be present, and if not, beware.

Each of us, no matter our faith or background, must not allow anti-Semitic rhetoric or incidents, in person or online, to be normalized. Hateful words and acts matter. We must call out or report antisemitism we are experiencing in the workplace, our children’s schools, or online. We can notify the authorities within these places, as well as the ADL and our city’s governments. Synagogues and other institutions such as the AJC can also assist in all of us doing our part to stand up to hateful anti Semitic acts and words.

We in the Jewish community, here at synagogues and other centers where Jews reside, will continue to do our part to call out hate, not only against Jews, but against anyone who is being targeted. Early on in the Torah we are taught, we are one another’s keeper, it is a tenant we Jews take seriously.

Once again,

Many of us gathered with Central Synagogue last night for our annual meeting a “state of the synagogue” assembly. No shame if you were not there, truly. We had set this date long ago and thus last night we found our annual meeting in the shadow of this tragedy.

Since many of us were not in attendance, I wanted to share with you some items that provided me comfort.

Rabbi Buchdahl discussed how she and so many others in our community were mourning the death of Sarah and Yaron. Rabbi Buchdahl also reminded us of Central’s deep care and connection to Israel, noting that we are an extended Jewish family.

And I took comfort in Rabbi Buchdahl’s emphasis last night on Central’s commitment to fighting antisemitism directly

and also by impact resulting from our congregants’ commitment to living lives of Jewish joy and meaning. Rabbi Buchdahl cited many examples of this, including how we take care of each other and also the stranger among us. We at Central serve meals to our hungry neighbors, stock our local community fridge, have taken in several asylum families, and support a number of migrant shelters in New York City. Time and time again, here at Central Synagogue, we make manifest the commandments within Judaism to take care of each other and to love our neighbor.

And I loved last night, how you, Rabbi Lorge, shared how we do this unapologetically and unafraid, confident that we can transform our world for the better. Amen!

Once again, in a few minutes, we will read, as we do each Shabbat from the Torah and this week we conclude the third book of the Torah which means that after we conclude the chanting Leviticus we will say the words “hazak, hazak, v’nitchazek”, be strong, be strong and together let us all be strengthened.

Oh boy, do we need strength. I know I do.

I told a friend earlier today that, especially this week, it will be so good for me to be with our Central Synagogue family on Shabbat, and so it is.

Once again, we are strengthening one another. May we continue to do so as we find our way forward, together. Am Yisrael Chai.

[1] Time Magazine OpEd by Jonathan Greenblatt, May 23, 2025, After D.C. Shooting, the Time to Act on Antisemitism is Now | TIME