The horrific attack in Har Nof made this a most difficult week in Israel, and for Jews around the world. Conventional wisdom has it that no two humans are separated by any more than six degrees of separation. But most any member of a Jewish community knows that just two — perhaps three — points, at most, set them apart.

Early Tuesday, when we learned that three American olim and a fourth from the United Kingdom had been murdered, including a grandson of Rabbi Joseph D. Soloveitchik zt”l, along with a heroic police officer from Israel’s Druze community, the tragedy felt as if it almost couldn’t have hit any closer to home. And of course, a number of other people are still fighting to recover from grievous wounds.

Their names are:
איתן בן שרה
חיים יחיאל בן מלכה
שמואל ירוחם בן ביילה
אברהם שמואל בן שיינה
אריה בן ברכה

Eitan ben Sarah
Chaim Yechiel ben Malka
Shmuel Yerucham ben Bayla
Avraham Shmuel ben Shayna
Aryeh ben Bracha

The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America in a joint statement Tuesday said that the desecration of a single shul in Har Nof was a desecration of all batei tefilah. Later they suggested that shuls in North America gather for Tehillim that night and many quickly agreed, including more than two-dozen congregations who emailed the OU’s Synagogue Services office that they planned to participate:

• Congregation BIAV — Overland Park, KS
• Congregation Kneseth Israel (“The White Shul”) — Far Rockaway, NY
• Young Israel Aish — Las Vegas, NV
• Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha Synagogue — Chesterfield, MO
• Beth Israel Congregation — Miami Beach, FL
• Congregation Beth Abraham — Bergenfield, NJ
• Young Israel of Jamaica Estates — Queens, NY
• Arzei Darom — Teaneck, NJ
• Congregation Ohab Zedek — New York, NY
• Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob — Skokie, IL
• Congregation Tiferet Israel — Austin, TX
• Congregation House of Jacob – Mikveh Israel — Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
• Congregation Israel — Springfield, NJ
• Riverdale Jewish Center — Bronx, NY
• Link Kollel & Shul — Los Angeles, CA
• Young Israel of Forest Hills — Queens, NY
• B’nai David-Judea Congregation — Los Angeles, CA
• Young Israel of Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale — Florida
• Congregation Eitz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills — Queens, NY
• Beth Israel Congregation — Miami Beach, FL
• Congregation Bnai Yeshurun — Teaneck, NJ
• Beth Israel Synagogue — Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)
• Congregation Beth Aaron — Teaneck, NJ
• Lower Merion Synagogue — Lower Merion, PA
• Congregation Beth Sholom, with Beit Hakinesset HaChadash and Light of Israel — Rochester, NY
• Young Israel of Memphis — Memphis, TN
• The Adath — Montreal, Canada
• Green Road Synagogue — Cleveland, OH
• Elmora Hills Minyan — Union, NJ
• Kemp Mill Synagogue — Silver Spring, MD

The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.