We are clergy, serving many Morgan Hill and Gilroy residents of various faiths. We work together in interfaith activities throughout South County, and when one among us is the victim of acts of violence, all of us feel it and are aroused to do something, anything, to curb the violence.
Synagogues, Catholic churches, Mosques and other places of worship have been victims of violence, many within recent weeks. On Aug. 27, a shooting occurred at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, leaving two children dead and 21 other people wounded.
Just a few weeks ago, on Sept. 28, four people were killed and eight others were injured during a mass shooting and arson attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. The perpetrator, rammed his pickup truck through the front doors of the church, then exited the vehicle and opened fire on the congregation inside with an assault rifle. At some point, he set the building on fire.
A few days later, on Oct. 2, two Jewish people were killed and three were left in a serious condition after a car ramming and stabbing attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, England. This occurred during the synagogue’s prayer services on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
“You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds,” is a commandment from Leviticus 19:16 in the Hebrew Bible.
As clergy, we are called to respond, to “not stand idly by” in response to these acts of violence. We call upon Congress to pass common-sense gun violence legislation and expand security resources for houses of worship without delay. Our houses of worship are burning and this is an urgent time for action.
“No one should have to fear getting shot and killed in their house of worship…we’re no strangers to this type of extremist violence. It’s the direct, deadly consequence of allowing weapons of war on our streets,” wrote Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action in response to the Church of Latter-Day Saints attacks. We concur.
In his book “Why Faith Matters,” Rabbi David Wolpe included the story of a man who stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. “Dear God,” he cried out, “Look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in Your world. Why don’t you send help?” God responded: “I did send help. I sent you.”
Each of us has been sent to respond to these deadly attacks with a resolve to take immediate action. We urge each reader to contact our representatives in Congress to prioritize gun violence legislation.
Signed by Imam Ilyas Anwar, The Rev. Mary B. Blessing, Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz, Rev. Dr. Linda A Holbrook, Rabbi Debbie Israel, Rev. Ronald E. Koch, Father Jose Rubio, Rev. Anita R. Warner
(Additional clergy concur with this letter’s message but denominational policy prohibits them from signing their name to a public letter.)
Thank you for this timely message. I am thankful we live in a place where our clergy and houses of worship can work together in love.
I commend the clergy who have spoken out against any & all violence, as I firmly uphold the teaching from Leviticus 19:16: “You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”
That said, many residents of South County are deeply disappointed by the silence of most local clergy regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has been live-streamed for over two years. This silence sends a very troubling message: that it is acceptable for clergy to remain passive while their Palestinian Christian and Muslim neighbors endure unimaginable suffering, including the total destruction of communities and intentional starvation of families. Most clergy have also refused to use the accurate term genocide, even though numerous international organizations have classified Israel’s actions as such.
In contrast, we have heard local religious “leaders”- Rabbi Mendel, Rabbi Debbie Israel, and Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz- publicly speak to oppose any support for a ceasefire or peace resolution at city council meetings in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, thereby disregarding the urgent need to protect innocent civilians and end the killings.
We must remember that “Never again” should apply to all human life and every life must be cherished, valued, and protected. Let us also remember that Jesus was a Palestinian Christian, and that Christians in Gaza and the West Bank are facing near elimination alongside their Muslim neighbors… Clergy should “not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”
It does seem disingenuous to claim these far away hate crimes demand local action, but simply ask for respect when an actual hate crime happens in our own community. Simply because it wasn’t against the Jewish community. You either care about all humanity or you don’t. Based on your silence, and active resistance to calls for a ceasefire throughout the current on going genocide, one can only surmise your humanity is very selective.