Dear West Chester,
Our third week of “editorial letters” focuses on the recent tragic events which occurred over the weekend in Pittsburgh. The Quad responds to a specific quote from Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, via CNN.
Just 3 months ago, the Pittsburgh synagogue’s rabbi lamented gun violence and failure to tackle it.
Tree of Life Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers wrote: “Despite continuous calls for sensible gun control and mental health care, our elected leaders in Washington knew that it would fade away in time,” His blog post was entitled “We Deserve Better.”
Max: Seeing friends “mark themselves safe” on Facebook should not have to become a standard practice in the United States outside of natural disasters. The more often we give those addicted to hate an opportunity to take violent action in accordance with their beliefs, the further we fall as a nation. Thoughts and prayers are good sentiments, yes, and both go out to those affected in Pittsburgh; it is an injustice, however, to stop there, and political action must follow.
Doménica: My heart goes out to all those who have been impacted by gun violence. It’s a nationwide issue and I’m saddened to think that places of worship and education both have suffered because of gun violence.
Kirsten: Myers is stating everything Americans need to hear right now. Ignoring calls for help only permits tragic events to happen. The White House is doing exactly that. Change can’t wait any longer.
Casey: Violence against those solely because of their belief about what may or may not be real is not only frightening but unacceptable. Additionally, our president putting forth the idea that guns should go anywhere near a place of worship perpetuates the belief that the only way to fight violence is with more violence, and if that is the response we agree upon as a nation, I think we have a bigger problem than we realize.
Sincerely,
The Quad Staff