Texas Tragedy

Dear WJC Family,

We write to you today in extreme sadness and frustration as we reflect upon the massacre of so many school children and teachers that occurred yesterday in Uvalde, TX, only two weeks after the Tops Supermarket massacre in Buffalo. While the frequency of such shootings may sadly have diminished our shock, there is something particularly disturbing and heartbreaking about mass shootings that are racially motivated and that take place in schools. They shine a glaring spotlight on the shortcomings of our society—shortcomings we would often rather not face or that seem too big to tackle.

As many of you know, Rabbi Arnowitz recently returned from an interfaith trip to Israel where he toured the Yad v Shem Shoah Memorial and Museum with the group. One of the ministers wrote his congregation last night:

“The concept of the Righteous Among the Nations has pierced my soul and set my mind afire. These often ordinary citizens weren’t people who stood by offering their thoughts or prayers…They were not fooled by the politics of an evil empire or deterred by the failures of those who said nothing could be done. These were people who acted. These were people who risked their lives for what was right. They were by the very definition righteous…My prayer is that when faced with the call to action, I can live into the example set before me by those righteous among the nations.”

Let us grieve together over the tragic loss of life of those killed, consider how to make sure that we are acting towards what is right, and act to ensure that our community is safe.

Our number one priority is and will always be the safety and security of our congregants, students, and staff. In addition to our existing security measures, we have recently completed the installation of a new access entry system throughout the building. With our security vendor, we have reviewed identification requirements for all visitors coming into the building.

As always, we are in constant communication with the Mamaroneck Police Department as well as local and national law enforcement organizations.

We want to thank our Security Committee under the leadership of Mark Berger, as well as our security guards, for their vigilance in keeping us safe. May we all rise to the call of Rev. Veitinger’s prayer and strive together to repair this world and this society, so that one day these protective measures are no longer necessary for any of us.

Seth Schafler, President
Jeffrey Arnowitz, Senior Rabbi
David Goldstein, Executive Director