The first house I lived in after I married my wife was in Squirrel Hill. A few doors down from us lived a Holocaust survivor named Dora. I often spent my afternoons on her porch listening to her experiences of losing most of her family to Nazi hatred and violence. Although her experiences were horrendous and terrifying, she recalled those events without hatred or malice. She would always encourage me to love my wife and cherish my newborn son because she learned that life was both precious and short. She taught me not only the horror of the Holocaust but also the great capacity of the human spirit for forgiveness and compassion. I have never forgotten her stories, her compassion or her great kindness to me. I am reminded of her grandmotherly life lessons as I contemplated Robert Bowers’ act of hatred in the Tree of Life synagogue in that same neighborhood.
As a Pastor, I say unequivocally that the African American Church and community stand with our Jewish sisters and brothers in unity, love and support. African Americans and Jews have a long history of working together against intolerance, racism and bigotry. As people of God there are times that the only thing we can do is trust God and love each other.
As an elected official, I also recognize that there are still other voices that seek to demean, exploit and harm Jews, African Americans and many other targeted groups. The voices of evil seek to divide us along the lines of politics, race, religion, income, gender and sexual orientation. In addition, too many of our current national leaders pursue policies and practices that lead to further hatred, division and gun proliferation instead of love, unity and gun reduction. Their bigoted and partisan rhetoric has made our nation less safe. Make no mistake, the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue is, in part, a result of that very national politics of hate, intolerance and unconstrained gun ownership.
In the face of this great tragedy, we as Pittsburghers also have a unique opportunity. We can stand together and be a national example of compassion, forgiveness and public resolve. After we cry together and grieve together we can stand together and lovingly support one another. As a united Pittsburgh, a diverse city for all, we can stand together and demand the enactment of reasonable, national gun control policies. The support for unconstrained gun ownership and, subsequently, the widespread availability of guns is the evil that enables homicides, suicides and mass shootings. As America’s most livable city, let’s celebrate freedom, continue to work for diversity, equity and unity while fighting against the continued nationwide proliferation of guns and gun violence. While living in Squirrel Hill, I learned from Dora, a Holocaust survivor, that in the midst of tragedy are sown the seeds of hope and renewal. Rabbi Harold S. Kushner said it best, “One man alone can’t defeat the forces of evil, but many good people coming together can.”
(Rev. Ricky V. Burgess Pittsburgh City Councilmember, District 9)
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We must defeat the forces of evil (commentary by Rev. Ricky V. Burgess)
