Listener, learner, thinker - leading to better actions.

Responding as We

Jul 16, 2024, 6:05 AM

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Let us respond from a sense of we.
We the community of the world.

We may all be targets of violence.
None of us want that.

We offer condolences and sympathies
to the loved ones of those who died from violence.

We hope for healing and recovery
the those injured by violence.

We pray for the broken minds and souls
of those driven to do violence.

We promise to work
to connect with those we disagree with.

We commit to quiet
our overly judgmental selves and listen more.

We hope for better times
and know we must co-labor to bring them.

The labor starts with you and me,
and becomes ours, and then?

Let us begin, and continue,
and never give up on each other.

About the Author

Jonathan Freirich was ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1999. He holds dual affiliation with both Reconstructing Judaism and the Reform Movement. He earned an Executive Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University in 2023. His work blends rigorous scholarship, pastoral wisdom, and a lifelong commitment to justice and healing with a compassionate understanding that we all need to be seen for who we are.