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Rabbi's Message

12/16/2022 04:18:48 PM

Dec16

Dear Hevre,

As many of you know, KHN co-sponsored an event on the 10th anniversary of Sandy Hook led by CeasefirePA and co-sponsored with several other religious and civic organizations. It was heart-breaking to hear a woman tell her story of losing her uncle to gun violence (while being in the same area) for the first time and the reminders of all the atrocities that have taken place by gun violence in schools, Black churches, synagogues, LGBTQ spaces and other sacred spaces since Sandy Hook. After the presentation Sue-Ellen DiVito of Immigrant Rights Action/Grupo de Acción (she once spoke at KHN) told me how she had just witnessed the humanitarian crisis at the border in El Paso. She also visited Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a former student fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers, and wounded seventeen others this past May. She met a family member of Jacklyn Jaylen Cazares, a nine-year old victim. The family member asked that Jacklyn be remembered. I’m including her obituary which includes a beautiful video, highlighting Jacklyn throughout her short life:

https://www.rekfunerals.com/obituary/Jacklyn-Cazares

If you are interested in learning more about the issue of ending gun violence, please visit the website:

https://www.ceasefirepa.org/. You can sign up for their emails so that they can notify you of actions to take. Or you can click on specific links (like “ban assault weapons”) if you want to focus on that. You can also donate to help them continue their work.

I am inspired by people who are doing everything they can to stop this scourge of gun violence. I know that we are all busy people. We don’t have to do everything. But perhaps we can so something.

Next week we will enter Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. We need to bring light into dark places. To act with integrity, kindness and courage. Let us rededicate ourselves to making a difference. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. Indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, [and] in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.”

I hope that you have a restful Shabbat. We are meeting in person at 7:00 pm for Shabbat this evening as well as online at:

Tomorrow morning we are meeting for Contemplative Shabbat at 10:00 am on Zoom only. The link is:

I look forward to seeing you over Shabbat and during Chanukah.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Diana

*If you want to respond to this email, please write me at: rabbidianamiller@gmail.com

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784