Dear Friends,
Last night, tragedy struck Charleston. Our beloved city is in a state of shock and is mourning the loss of 9 people who were the victims of what can be described as nothing other than a hate crime. We mourn the loss of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, and all those who were murdered, and we express our deepest sympathies to their families. We pray that those who have been injured, either physically or emotionally, will find healing, and we pray that such evil never visits our city again.
We are a people who know what it is like to be persecuted, we know all too well what it is like to be the victims of hate crimes. It is therefore our duty to rise up in solidarity against injustices like these, and support the victims of such cruelty.
This Shabbat at BSBI we will be celebrating renewal, with the dedication of our new Mezuzot. Let us use this as an opportunity to come together in hope and prayer and shun racism, discrimination and hate.
In light of this tragedy, we are reassessing our security protocols at BSBI, and will have a security guard present this weekend.
Rabbi Moshe Davis
Brith Sholom Beth Israel
Charleston, SC