Rabbo Frank Tamburello's Thoughts on the Newtown Tragedy

Rabbi Frank Tamburello is the rabbi of the Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism, the Westchester County, NY affiliate of the Society for Humanistic Judaism.  Below are his thought on the tragedy that recently occurred in Newton, CT:

On behalf of the Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism, I would like to
express my deepest sorrow and solidarity with the families and friends of the victims in
the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. May their memories continue to bless our
lives.

Our Jewish tradition tells us that there is nothing considered more sacred than the
preservation of life, and yet everywhere we turn, it seems, we are confronted with
images of violence, death, and destruction.

Our liturgy says “aleynu” - “it is up to us.” It is up to us to take responsibility for creating
a society that is life-affirming, to strive for a world where we can embrace each other in
love, a world where violence is not glorified, but abhorred, a world where differences are
resolved without conflict and with respect for the rights of every human being.

Let us strive for a world where “peace on earth, and goodwill to all” are more than just
trite holiday song lyrics. A world where our children, and all of us, can feel safe and
secure. A world where we see our own face in the face of everyone we meet.

These horrific images, and the brave response to them show us that although suffering
will always be with us, it is within our power to help in the healing process, and to work
to create a better world for all.

We read in Pirke Avot - The Wisdom of the Sages: “Suffering is the stuff of life, and
through suffering, one opens the heart to compassion, the shared pain of living beings.
We withstand our trials by feeling the pain without abandoning the world.” (V. 4)
It is up to us to light candles against the darkness of the world, and to be alive and truly
present in the project of tikkun olam - the repair of the world.

Rabbi Frank