To the editor:
Temple Beth Sholom’s Shabbat morning service Oct. 26 was a different kind of morning service. We came to remember, and we came to memorialize, the 11 Jews who were murdered while praying at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We had an armed guard at the door. We felt safe. A uniformed sergeant sent by Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph Madden stood guard in the back of the room. Among those present were Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna, members of the Town Council, Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr., a councilman from Emerson, a member of Temple Emanuel, and two priests.
From 9:30 to 11 a.m. we had our traditional service, abbreviated to allow for a memorial service. It was our community coming together, both Jews and non-Jews.
The Rev. Marc Stetzel of the local Lutheran church, and the Rev. Larrisa Romero from the Pascack Reformed Church, expressed their love and sympathy from their congregations to ours. They indicated that they were both with us that morning to express their condolences and show their support by standing together with us in prayer and solidarity.
While we held our service many other temples nationwide were doing the same: coming together as one community.
Mayor Misciagna spoke from the heart, expressing his support for the Jewish community.
Andy Groh, the previous TBS president, spoke about how he felt upon hearing of the worst attack on Jews in the history of the U.S.
TBS President Len Levy also addressed the congregation, saying that it really hit home, as it could be anyone attending any religious service, anywhere.
Our new rabbi, David Bockman, provided minute-by-minute details as to how these murders unfolded. Cantor Joel led us in prayer, as well as during the memorial service, with his voice inspiring those present to appreciate and listen to the melody and grace in our prayer services.
Our guests read along with us in English and were advised not to read backwards from right to left in the English prayer. (That was worth a chuckle.)
TBS member Robin Gottesman spoke about the memorial plaque that hangs in our east wing in memory of those murdered. She pointed out that they did not simply die; they were murdered.
We thank Robin Gottesman, as well as Robin Steiner for commissioning and spearheading this project. We will be sending a framed 8-inch by 10-inch picture of our plaque to the Tree of Life Synagogue with a letter from our shul.
Lindsey Roth, a 14-year-old student at Park Ridge High School and the oldest daughter of the Roth family, recited a poem from memory that she composed in honor of her great-grandmother, who’d miraculously survived the Holocaust. Her great-grandmother, great-grandfather, and her grandmother’s names were not called when the Jews were lined up to be sent to their deaths. Their lives were spared as a result of her great-grandmother’s childhood friendship with the son of a Romanian commander, who either removed their names from the list to be killed or just made sure their names were not called.
Lindsey weaved her poem into the tragedy that took place in Pittsburgh and indicated she believes one day people will all get along, as anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
There is more. Lindsey has an incredible voice and led us in singing the national anthem of Israel, Hatikvah, (The Hope). That alone was worth the cost of membership, remarked congregant Susan Benkel.
The Tree of Life Synagogue is not yet reopened. They are planning to reopen and build a memorial plaque outside of their building. We continue to stand together with their congregation and families as one community, and with all of those who are affected by senseless discrimination and violence around the world.