LOCAL
CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 7
NOVEMBER 2, 2018
STRONGER THAN HATE
Jewish Cleveland shows support for Squirrel Hill JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER @jkaufmancjn jkaufman@cjn.org | PITTSBURGH – In a demonstration of love, solidarity and compassion, throngs of people from near and far gathered Oct. 28 to mourn the loss of 11 Jews who were killed by a gunman during Shabbat services Oct. 27 at the Tree of Life Congregation. Among them were Jewish Clevelanders offering support and seeking solace from the event, which they said felt quite close to home. Many from Northeast Ohio have close connections to Pittsburgh. Others felt the loss as neighbors and fellow Jews. The vigil was held at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, which holds 2,500. The standing-roomonly crowd filled the doorways, lined walls, and spilled out into the lobby and onto the front steps of the building, which is about 2 miles from Tree of Life. The rabbis whose congregations meet in the building spoke of the hope they have for their congregations, even while mourning the brutal losses. Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, who leads New Light Congregation, spoke of his chaimish congregation and of his decision to move to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which he considered to be a safe and welcoming community. Rabbi Jeff Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation spoke of wrestling with the psalms. NORTHEAST OHIO CONNECTION Clevelanders attending the vigil included rabbis Stephen Weiss, Hal Rudin-Luria and Josh Foster from B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike. Rudin-Luria called Cleveland and Pittsburgh neighbors. “I was extremely moved by the community outpouring of love and unity,” he said. “And in the face of incredible tragedy that they didn’t lean on us that they lifted each other up.” His wife, Erika Rudin-Luria, who on Jan. 1 will become the next president of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, said she spent part of her day at the vigil and the other part going over security details for a vigil Oct. 29 in Cleveland. “We are very lucky where we live,” she said. “We have incredible partners in the municipalities and the police departments.” She also said the way Pittsburgh has pulled together is “inspiring.” “I thought they sent a very strong message,” she said. “I thought the clergy was exceptionally moving.”
Weiss confirmed that there is a member of B’nai Jeshurun whose relative died in the shootings. He declined to name the member, citing a privacy request from the family. “We have lots of members who have family in Pittsburgh,” he said, adding there are multiple connections, including United Synagogue Youth.” Kari Semel is a social work graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh. “I’m doing all right,” she said. “I’ve been with a lot of people who were born and raised in Squirrel Hill. I feel kind of like an outsider.” Semel’s parents, Jessica and Alan Semel, members of Cleveland’s Jewish community, also attended the vigil in part to support her. Alan Semel is immediate past president of the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood. “I’ve got a lot of friends here in Pittsburgh – very, very dear friends that are like family,” said Pepper Pike resident Gil Rubanenko, vice president of operations at the Mandel JCC. “When terrible things happen to Jewish people, we come out to support one another.” Lindsay Migdal, who is from Akron, is the regional director of BBYO in Pittsburgh and attended the event with a BBYO group. She met with the teens prior to the event to make sure all 117 teens she sees were safe, she said. “A lot of them live near the synagogue,” she said. “We’re looking to do a teen-led Havdalah next week.” She said the teens were also looking for ways to be useful and had already made cookies for the first responders at Pittsburgh police station Zone 4, about four blocks from Tree of Life. Drew Barkley, who grew up in Shaker Heights and is the executive director of Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh, said religious school seemed to go well Oct. 28. “We hired two armed security guards, and fortunately, they had nothing to do,” he said. He said the atmosphere was peaceful at the religious school. “My dad was born and raised in Pittsburgh,” said Jeremy Pappas, regional director of Anti-Defamation League in Cleveland. “Not only did I have the professional reason (to attend), but this hit close to home as well. “It’s hard to fathom the largest attack on the Jewish people in the history of our country.” ‘THEY WERE PILLARS’ Perlman described the three men lost from his congregation as pillars.
Rabbi Jonathan Perlman describes three congregants his synagogue lost during the Oct. 27 shooting as “pillars of his community” during an Oct. 28 vigil at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh. | CJN photos / Jane Kaufman
A shrine near the Tree of Life Congregation became a point of reflection and grief for many.
“They remind me of the character that is described in this week’s Torah portion,” he said, referring to Rebekah’s kindness to Eliezar. “Rebekah was the first volunteer in history.” He said the three congregants worked with “the poor, the hungry and the needy.” His voice broke with emotion. “These three men, they cannot be replaced. But we will not be broken. We will not be broken by this event.” Rabbi Cheryl Klein of Dor Hadash Congregation spoke of the warmth of her congregation and promised it would continue to thrive, to worship and to sing, even in light of the tragedy. She spoke of the kindness of Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz. “Usually, at times like this, I turn to Psalms,” said Myers, whose Tree of Life Congregation lost seven members.
He said he started services at 9:45 a.m. on Oct. 27. There were 12 people in the sanctuary. The shooting started a few minutes later. Seven were shot dead. One was wounded. “I thought of the 23rd Psalm,” he said. “‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ Well God, I want. What I want, you can’t give me. You can’t return these 11 beautiful souls. You can’t rewind the clock. So, how do I rectify my dilemma with this psalm? What I want you can’t give me, but it says I shall not want. If you turn later in the psalm, you read you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. “My texts, my emails, my Facebook overflow with love, from strangers, people I’ve never met, people who are not from the United States but from all
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