Contact:
Mollie Katz
202-527-9058
Press@rcrc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2019
RCRC STATEMENT ON THE SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA ON PASSOVER
In response to the shooting at the Poway, Cal., synagogue on the last day of Passover, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) released the following statement:
“Sorrow and concern are taking up more and more space in our hearts since this latest act of violence by a white supremacist against innocent people worshiping together on a religious holiday. We grieve for the woman who lost her life and send healing prayers and wishes to the injured and their families.
“We have issued statements like this one after the Tree of Life Shooting, after the Christchurch violence and again just this month after the Sri Lanka bombing. That we must do so again so soon makes it clear that today, religious bigotry no longer lurks in the dark corners of our world. It is open, unapologetic and deadly.
“The 19-year-old shooter in this situation had written a manifesto based on anti-Semitic libels which have circulated for hundreds of years. These false accusations have been used to discriminate against Jews in many countries and many eras.
“Violence in this case was unleashed on Jews. But the shooter’s hatred extended to Muslims and people of color as well.
“His manifesto claimed that ‘There is no love without hatred.’ Our coalition’s roots in diverse faiths convince us of the emptiness of that view.
In these troubling times, we will look to our interfaith traditions for solace and will pray for the courage to stand firm in our faith and our commitment to democratic freedoms.”