This was not the post I intended to write today—but it has been a weekend of tragedies. How can we find light in the world when there remains so much darkness?
I mourn with the Brown University community and with the Jewish community in Australia. It was not that long ago that my son was taking finals at his own alma mater, just like Brown students were this weekend when a shooter caused death, injury, and fear. It was not that long ago that my family and I attended a Chabad menorah lighting in our own town, just like members of the Australian Jewish community were doing when a shooter opened fire yesterday, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. Add to the weekend’s losses that of actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner in another act of violence.
It is often said that Hanukkah is about shining light in the darkness, metaphorically as well as literally. Despite the holiday being most known for its connection to a Talmudic story about oil that miraculously lasted eight days, however, that is a later addition. The Book of Maccabees itself actually focuses on the actions of the Jews to clean up their temple, removing the altar that the Greeks had defiled and building a new one in its place. To my mind, that is the more important lesson, that we must take action to repair the damage to our world. The metaphor of light comes after that.
That thinking, around the need for action, is part of what inspires me to continue working towards peace and justice. As the Talmud teaches us, though, “You are not obligated to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” This must be a communal effort, with each of us doing what we can, but realizing that there are many others engaged in the work as well. I hope that readers of all faiths and beliefs draw on their own motivations to keep repairing this world of ours. The best way to find the light is to create it.
Resources
It may feel fruitless at times to oppose the gun lobby that has allowed the widespread, poorly regulated distribution of firearms, but I know we must continue to do so. If you wish to take action against gun violence in the U.S., two places to start are:
or you can contact your federal, state, and local elected officials directly. There are similar organizations in Australia as well, but I am not familiar enough with them to recommend any particular ones.
For those looking for ways to help children process their feelings around this latest shooting or around ongoing active shooter drills in their schools:
- Sesame Street offers resources on Community & Gun Violence for children and families.
- A Kids Company About has made their A Kids Book About School Shootings downloadable for free. Written by a survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, it is aimed at ages 5 to 9.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics explains “How to Talk With Kids About Tragedies & Other Traumatic News Events.”
- The American Psychological Association shares ideas for “Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting.”
- Everytown offers some “general information and coping tips” on “Children’s Responses to Trauma.”