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Lend Your Voice

02/15/2018 01:05:49 PM

Feb15

Today I held my daughter's hand a little tighter than usual as I walked her into school.  On our drive to school this morning I had to change the radio station six times to prevent her six year old ears from hearing about 17 children, a little older but just like her, who were murdered, gunned down by a peer just yesterday in Parkland, Florida. I am in shock, but I shouldn't be; this isn't new to us. According to research done by the Washington Post, “Beginning with Columbine 19 years ago, more than 150,000 students attending at least 170 primary or secondary schools have been exposed to a shooting on campus...that doesn't count dozens of suicides, accidents and after-school assaults that have also exposed children to gunfire."

That's more than 7,984 children a year, over 21 children a day who have been exposed to gun related violence in the United States. Over 21 children a day (please hear the anger and outrage in this sentence!) How many more children need to die or be exposed to gun violence before we and our government act to prevent such atrocities from taking place?

Just last week in Parashat Mishpatim we read of the imperative to care for the stranger, to take care of the orphan and the widow, the most vulnerable in our society. Our children are vulnerable and suffering and we as a society have put a stumbling block before the blind. How dare we allow this to continue? 

In our schools, we teach our children that where and when there is darkness, we must find ways to shine light through our actions. Our children bring in cans of food to feed the hungry and care for the environment, they learn to welcome guests and to care for individuals with differences, they learn to take care of those older and wiser among us. Our teachers set the example by giving of themselves each day to teach our children that they can make this world better, that what they do matters and even last month organized a blood drive for children's hospital, saving the lives of over 60 children in just one day.  We need to do all this and more but bringing more love and more kindness into the world is just not enough. We need to raise our voices.  

We also teach our children every day to advocate on behalf of themselves and those whose voices are not heard. In our day school, our 4th grade students begin learning about political advocacy, around the subject of food insecurity. They hear stories of children who suffer from hunger and share these stories with our elected officials to bring awareness, to give a voice to these children in the hopes of solving the rampant issue of childhood hunger that plagues our society.  Our children understand that bringing in cans of food to donate, although necessary in the interim, is not enough. In order to make systemic change, the system must be altered. This is also true of our gun laws. We need to raise our voices, for who knows, God forbid, our children could be next.

If only we saw these 17 beautiful souls, may their memories be for a blessing, as OUR children.  

“You shall not wrong a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Our people know what it was like to be a stranger and therefore empathize with the plight of the stranger. God forbid we should ever know what it is like to lose a child to gunfire but there are parents among us who do know this unbearable feeling and it is our duty as Jews and as citizens of this country to help make their voices heard. I yearn for the day when I don't have to change the radio station on the way to school; when I can walk my child into school and not fear that she could be next. Until then, I pledge to make heard the voices of every child who can no longer use their voice and every family whose voices have been muted by the pain of losing a child to gun violence. Who else wants to lend their voice? If you'd like to join me in moving towards change, please email ataff@vbsds.org. Together we will make our voices heard.

Rabbi Avi Taff
Day School Rabbi

 

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784