Dear friends,

In reflecting upon the events of a long and disturbing day, we are almost without words. Never in our lifetimes could we have thought that we would witness an attack on the United States Capitol by domestic terrorists. At the same time, we are not surprised. After being baited and encouraged by the President of the United States to “stand back and stand by;” after hearing many elected officials (including Missouri’s Senator Hawley) refusing to accept the results of a fair and impartial election – results which have been verified by both election officials and the courts; after circulating conspiracy theories and lies within their own echo chambers, the perpetrators of today’s violent and deadly assault on the seat of our nation’s democracy did the inevitable.

These were not protestors. They were, as Senator Mitt Romney described them, insurrectionists, and those who directly and indirectly encouraged their behavior are being called traitors to our nation and to the values that America aspires. Their intent was to disrupt a peaceful transition of power, and thankfully, in the end they failed. However, their actions remind us that we have much work to do as individuals, as Reform Jews, and as a nation to overcome fear, to dismantle the white supremacist foundations upon which this country was built and to truly value the lives and rights of all people, regardless of gender, race or religion.

This was a dark day in America, to be sure. But it was also the day upon which Jon Ossoff, a Jewish American, and Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor, were elected to the United States Senate. Regardless of one’s political associations, this was a victory for diversity and for the changing face of America. In his victory speech, Rev. Warnock quoted from Psalm 30: “We may lie down weeping at nightfall, but joy comes in the morning.”

There may well be more dark nights ahead for our country, but we believe in the power of the American people to overcome that which divides us. We believe in the power of our faith and values, and the power of our Shaare Emeth community to continue to care for one another as we work on repairing our broken world. May our hope in a brighter future sustain us and may God bring blessings of courage, safety and joy to us all.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Jim Bennett

Rabbi Andrea Goldstein

Cantor Seth Warner

Rabbi Lori Levine

Rabbi Rachel Bearman

Rabbi Emeritus Jeffrey Stiffman