After shocking horror, sanctifying the value of human life

We in Hadassah mourn the senseless murders of our dear brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh.

By ZEEV ROTSTEIN
Candle lit-vigil in memory of the 11 Pittsburgh victims at Jerusalem's Zion Square on Sunday, October 28, 2018. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Candle lit-vigil in memory of the 11 Pittsburgh victims at Jerusalem's Zion Square on Sunday, October 28, 2018.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The antisemitic crime that was perpetuated this past Shabbat by a disgusting individual struck our hearts like lightening and left us, here at Hadassah, shocked, hurting, but mostly angry. Where does such hatred against Jews come from? The victims’ only sin is that they were born Jewish and all they wanted to do was to observe their faith and their heritage in the holy synagogue of their community.
The intolerable effortlessness of murdering innocent people based on perpetration of blood libels against Jews that we thought were a part of a distant, dark history, in an enlightened country such as the United States, is something that we cannot allow on the agenda.
Here at Hadassah – a medical, research and educational institution rooted in honoring the value of every single life – the Hadassah team that does its utmost in order to save life, every life, without discrimination based on religion, gender, age, origin or nationality, received the bitter tidings with utter shock, a momentary loss of direction, as the horrible polarization between those who love mankind and those who hate mankind is totally unacceptable.   
We mourn the senseless murders of our dear brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh. Our hearts go out to the bereaved families and to the wounded and their families, and we are prepared to offer any help that they require.
We pray that hatred and hate crimes will be diminished across the world. We call upon the public to take an immediate and active part in the war against hatred and in efforts to encourage all forms of tolerance.
Hadassah is a symbol of the value of each and every human life and the world needs a strong Hadassah. We remain committed to continuing to do everything possible in the future in order to contribute to tolerance and valuing every single human life, everywhere and anywhere in the world.
Hadassah appeals to the government of the United States of America to do everything in its power to uproot antisemitism in particular and xenophobia in general – fear, distrust and hatred of that which is perceived to be strange, or different – and at the same time to preserve  the wonderful multi-culturalism that characterizes the United States of America and consolidate efforts that contribute to the overall security of minorities in the wonderful democratic country that we at Hadassah here in Jerusalem, Israel so admire.
We will bury our dead in silence and mourn with their families. With a heavy heart, we raise our heads upward in the hope for human freedom and liberty and the ongoing education of all generations toward tolerance and honoring mankind.
The writer is director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem.