Bishop Provenzano Responds to Anti-Semitic Attacks in Brooklyn
The example of Jesus in the Gospel and our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every human being call us to act in love and respect and in solidarity with our Jewish siblings and neighbors across Long Island and Brooklyn.
For Immediate Release
November 3, 2018
Last week there was the horrendous anti-Semitic attack on worshippers at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue. Today there is news of several Brooklyn synagogues and Jewish schools being attacked by an arsonist and Union Temple vandalized by graffiti—additional ugly displays of evil that appear to be on the increase in our nation.
To counter this evil, I call on the priests and deacons of our diocese and the people of each of our congregations to be the personal, outward and visible expressions of God’s goodness for our Jewish sisters and brothers whose lives and worship are being silenced, threatened or disrupted.
Synagogues across the country are calling on congregants and faith allies to #ShowUpForShabbat this weekend. Let us respond to that call—to show up and stand up to hate and bigotry, to courageously express our solidarity and love in the face of these ongoing acts of hate.
Acts of love must answer acts of hate. Some of our parishes have already reached out to their nearby synagogues and rabbi colleagues and I commend them and bless them for their faithfulness.
The example of Jesus in the Gospel and our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every human being call us to act in love and respect and in solidarity with our Jewish siblings and neighbors across Long Island and Brooklyn.
For further information about our diocese's response to this crisis, please contact the Rev. Marie A. Tatro, vicar for community justice ministry: mtatro@dioceseli.org
The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano
Bishop of Long Island