Rehabilitation for a Young Synagogue Shooter

Our Synagogue here in Toronto was shot up back in March. If you have been following world events, you will know that our congregation is hardly the only Synagogue to have been targeted. But in some ways, we are the lucky ones. In our case, the shooting did not cause any human injuries, only to what the Talmud calls “wood and stones,” although the psychological impact cannot be discounted.

More importantly, the perpetrator has been caught. Complicating things somewhat, however, is the fact that the individual was seventeen at the time of the shooting, placing him under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. But I believe this also presents an interesting opportunity for rehabilitation, one that goes back to medieval times. I am thinking of England, where if a baker was accused of selling with improper measures, he would have a loaf hanging on his neck as a public declaration of his crime.

In the same vein, what I propose is that this shooter’s rehabilitation include attending services in the Synagogues he damaged. The reasoning goes beyond the fact that such a punishment will enable him to see the institution he targeted and the people he threatened, and thus to witness the consequences of his actions or even identify with his victims, as it were. By visiting the two Synagogues, I reckon he may actually be disabused of the ancient antisemitic notions that drove his behaviour. 

He might think that Israel is a colonizer in a land that is not their own. But he will hear about the ancient link of every Jew in the Synagogue to the Land of their ancestors, where they have lived and built communities for millennia. He might see the Jews as scheming, just as medieval Christians in Europe did, but what he will witness is not human made plans for domination, but calls for charity and support for the sick and needy. As for bigger arrangements or aspirations and hopes for world events, he will see congregants casting their burdens upon God. He might think his targets cannot be loyal to their country, like the French politicians and clergy felt about their would-be citizens in the 18th century, but he will see Jews praying for their government (even as many of the governments turn against them). Finally,  he might still think that shooting at their religious institutions would help. But he will hear how the loss of the temple motivated Jews to study their religious texts instead, and will find out that massacre after massacre only resulted in greater resolve and more fervent prayers.

Ultimately, what he will witness is that lived Judaism is not about control or influence, but about fortifying social bonds, devoutly hoping for peace, and supporting other Jews in  difficult times. May he learn his lesson.