Am I Jewish? No.
Do I know any Jewish people? Not sure - I don't measure the worth of a person by their religion.
Do I care that 11 people were killed, 6 injured while they practised their faith
in Pittsburgh last Saturday?
Hell, yes!
And apparently so do many more Londoners as they packed
the Jewish Centre last night, filled an overflow room to capacity
and jammed the foyer to show their support
for victims of yet another hate crime.
It was wonderful and horrible at the same time.
As community and religious leaders spoke to the many
benefits of coming together as a strong brother and sisterhood in our fair city
I counted the large police presence in a state of shock!
A detachment of Ontario Provincial Police volunteered their
unpaid time to monitor the event.
Wonderful of them to stand up and make all of us feel secure;
horrible that they had to.
It didn't occur to me to be afraid.
And then I thought...what must it do to a person's psyche to always
have to feel afraid? Always. Everyday.
One speaker spoke to the fact that many Jewish people are now
hiding their faith out of fear. I tried to imagine
feeling like I had to hide that I am of the Anglican faith. I couldn't
imagine it. I tried to imagine lying about where I am from
Again, I couldn't do it.
I don't live in fear of anything.
Lucky me.
I read this morning that the murderer who has been charged
with killing and injuring the innocents has pleaded
Not Guilty.
I understand insanity can be used in support of a Not Guilty plea.
But HATE?
Racism? Anti-Semitism? Bigotry in its many forms?
I don't think so!
Finally, I just want to say to my American friends and family that last night,
for the first time, I sang the American national anthem
with tears in my eyes.
