By Zoe Terner and Jess Becker, current and elect NFTY Social Action Vice Presidents
On the last night of Passover and six months after the tragedy of the Tree of Life Synagogue, news of a shooting at a Chabad in San Diego shook our movement. The shooting claimed one life and injured several: one injured was under the age of 18. We mourn with the San Diego Jewish community and wish a speedy recovery for those who are injured.
Houses of worship across the country, no matter the religion practiced, are meant to be safe and sacred spaces. These are not places of hate. These are not places of violence. Fear has no place in a K’hilah K’dosha, a holy community. We refuse to allow it.
Our thoughts and prayers are not enough to make our world safer for all of its inhabitants. In order to end gun violence, we must act.
Today, as we go out into a world that every day feels more threatening and violent, we come together as a movement, as NFTY, to keep one another safe. We each are our protectors, our supporters, and our advocates to make this country better. Don’t forget to give love to those around you; don’t forget that being your most authentic self is an act of resistance; don’t forget that there are other communities that need our allyship, too.
Always remember that you have the power to create change. Pick up your phone, and call or email your Senators. Ask them to bring Senate Bill 42, The Bipartisan Background Checks Act, to the floor, and demand that they vote on it. If this bill becomes law, our schools, places of worship, office buildings, and the country will be safer. Remind your Senators who they represent, and who keeps them in office.
NFTY, we are strong, we can make change, and we stand together with everyone affected by gun violence.
