Memory for a blessing

First off, I was not present for the terrible incident on Thursday July 30th during which 6 individuals were attacked while voicing support for equality at the Jerusalem Pride Parade. I was not standing with my classmates and the other brave souls who let their voices be known and in doing so unwittingly faced the very malevolence they sought to combat.  I regret my absence, but no distance can shield one from the ripples of reaction that reverberate outwards from such tragedy. Thus, I am humbled by the rallies to action and words of support that have cavalcaded forth in the wake of this destruction.  My heart goes out to all those who experienced emotional turmoil during or following the attack, all of those injured, and most of all to the family of Shira Banki, who succumbed to the wounds she sustained last Sunday.

Photo credit: Josh Gischner

What is most sad for me is that such incidents are not rare.  For some residents of the Middle East, encounters with terror are a daily occurrence.  The important thing, then, must not to become tempered to these events; how then to preserve the daily functions and yet pay due heed to travesty?  What is difficult about this latest incident is that it was perpetrated by a religious Jewish man.  As a student of religion, how can I reconcile destructive behavior in the name of faith with an act so clearly in violation of our commandments? It would behoove my interests to say the perpetrator is not truly Jewish - or did not act Jewishly - giving in to hate and malice, committing murder, and attempting to silence voices of equality.  Yet, by taking his religious banner, this is on par with those who do not consider Reform Judaism a true expression of the faith.

Among the many reasons for my presence here is to confront and understand Israel in all her iterations.  That this should include the volatility and violence displayed last week is beyond the scope of learning for which I might have hoped.  Still, for better or worse, my observations also include the unity and resolutions that have resulted, the statements by leaders political and religious condemning such actions, and the integration of many communities in the pursuit of peace.  On the whole I am left with many questions, some of which I lack the means of expressing, but I am comforted that I have a community among my cohort to provide support and an avenue for exploration.