Shocked, Not Surprised: Two Years After Synagogue Shooting

In O ctober 2018, a new friend, Roz, said to me, “Come to services Friday—it’s my birthday!” I readily went to Friday night services at our synagogue, Dor Hadash. The service on Roz’s birthday was joyous. About 60 people attended, I’d guess, in the long pavilion of the Tree of Life complex in Squirrel Hill. A cheerful rabbi visiting from Oregon, “Rabbi Yitz” (Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin), played his guitar and gave a talk. A member of the congregation ended the service by calling for a blessing on all the people (pointedly including the Arab population) in Israel and the territories. And after the service there was birthday cake for the Oneg Shabbat (rejoicing in the Sabbath) in the glass-walled corridor of the building. Read Full Article »