We are horrified and deeply saddened to learn that terrorists attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester, England where innocent Jewish people gathered together to pray this Yom Kippur morning. The terrorists chose today deliberately because it is our holiest day of the year when people gather in large numbers in synagogues throughout the world to pray. This attack is not just an attack on the Jews of Manchester. It is an attack on all Jewish people everywhere.
Tragically, the dramatic rise of hate around the world and blatant antisemitism is a story that is all too familiar to us. Every year Jews recite the Vehi Sheamda prayer in the Passover Haggadah, , “… Not only one enemy has risen up against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up to destroy us. But the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers us from their hands.”
Yes, our ancestors have suffered oppression, slavery, murderous pograms, and genocide… in every generation. The Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial Board is working to combat this hate by memorializing those who were murdered during the Holocaust, but, sadly, the hate goes on.
And here we are today. Yes, we are shaken by the continued attacks against us as. But we are also resolved. On this Yom Kippur day, as we atone for our sins and pray for peace among people and nations, we stand together as one with our fellow Jews, and vow not only to remember, but to live, to thrive, and to survive as a people.
We pray for those who were injured and wish them a speedy recovery, and we mourn with the families whose loved ones were ripped from their lives. May their memories be for a blessing, and may they rest in peace.