At each board meeting, one of our dedicated board members shares a "Mission Moment"—a personal reflection or story that highlights the impact of our work and the difference we make in the community. These moments remind us of the heart of our mission and inspire us to continue striving toward our shared goals. Below is the latest Mission Moment shared by UJCVP Board Member Michael Schulman.
Sunday night a group of local people viewed the film “Tree of Life: The Pittsburg Synagogue Shooting.” It was a roller coaster of emotions for all of us present. The film told the story of the event and the aftermath that changed the lives of family members, friends, first responders, and Jewish communities everywhere.
The strength of the film was reinforced by the presence of a survivor of the shooting. The personal comments from Carol Black provided insight into both her experience and her personal recovery process. She spoke about healing and also forgiveness. Anger might remain, but it can also create anxiety and become an impediment to healing. We saw how people honored the memory of lost friends and family, and offered a glimpse of how recovery and hope look after this tragedy.
The film was shown at the Kimball Theater in Williamsburg and the audience included both members of the Jewish community and others from area religious institutions.
A panel offered discussion after the film. On the panel with Ms. Black were Brad Orsini, who was a regional security advisor, and continues as an integral leader for the Secure Community Network (SCN), Rabbi David Katz, Temple Beth El of Williamsburg, and Eric Maurer, CEO of the UJCVP.
Members of the audience heard the thoughts of the guest speakers in a forum facilitated by Jessi Malkin. Brad Orsini was informative and highlighted the stark rise in antisemitism. Eric Maurer provided inciteful commentary that demonstrated his commitment to the community, and reiterated our need to continue to attend activities, trainings, and to ensure that we as a Jewish community set an example for others. Lastly, Rabbi Katz talked about our relationship with the community around us. Specifically, our role in the Historic Area Religions Together (HART), and the importance of teaching other religious communities who we are as a Jewish community.
These are some of my personal takeaways from the evening:
As a member of the audience, I found myself emotionally grieving with people offering testimony during the film. I felt the agony the community, and I’m guessing that I was not alone in that emotion.
When the numbers of incidents, threats, and hateful posts in social media are shown on a screen to an audience, the depth of it smacks the viewer right in the face and the heart. It was nothing short of scary.
My thoughts from the evening bring up a connection to Mishpatim. We learn that Mishpatim means ordinances, or the consequences that guide us when laws are broken. While some aren’t as relevant today, such as the laws for indentured servants, others remain universal. I often find myself thinking that it also refers to the consequences of certain acts and behaviors such as murder, theft, the mistreatment of foreigners, assault, etc.
As I read the rules or laws of Mishpatim, I can’t help but think about the changes in our society and how the rules that we try to uphold don’t seem to be considered when I read or hear about the number of assaults, murders, hate speech and so much more that appears as every day occurrences that surround us. I watch the evening news and hear about the prevalence of guns in our country today. These are things that I would have found unimaginable in my younger years.
I then turn my thoughts to how we as a Jewish community can work to make things better. My initial thought is to follow Rabbi Katz’s example and invite religious leaders in our community to learn who, and what we are. Ask them to share their philosophies with us. We might find out that we can do more to address antisemitism by including the community in our shared vision of a better, more tolerant country and world.