Showing Up for Our Muslim Brothers and Sisters
I’m thinking about how we, as Jews, have been responding to and discharging about the horrible attack on the Muslim community in New Zealand.
When I woke up last Friday and found out that forty-nine Muslim lives had been lost through violence rooted in white supremacist ideology, I felt shocked and numb. I was also reminded of how I’d felt in October after the massacre of Jews at a synagogue in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA). I remembered how much I had appreciated hearing from non-Jewish allies, and how important it had been to feel connected to other Jews. That the Muslim community had shown up [been present] for Jews had been a huge contradiction [to distress]. Now it’s important that I discharge on what it means for our natural allies to have experienced a similar attack.
After discharging on some of the numbness, I was able to reach out to the two Muslims I am close to in the wide world. But I can tell [notice] that I need more sessions, partly because of how deeply ingrained Islamophobia is in our society. It is hard to keep my attention on and face the reality of what happened.
I felt lucky to be able to attend services at the nearby mosque on Friday and to see other Co-Counselors and wide world Jewish leaders that I know. The outpouring of support was moving. Hundreds of people were there—including many allies, many of whom were Jewish. I couldn’t believe that I had never been to a mosque before, and I was sad that it had taken an event like this to get me there. It is clear that I have a lot more discharging to do on this!
I’m curious what others of you have been thinking and discharging about, in your RC Communities or elsewhere.
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA
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