Hazzan Steve's Message
THESE I WILL REMEMBER
“Eleh ezk’rah, v’nafshi alai eshp’chah.”
“These I will remember, and I pour out my soul.”
Today, December 14, 2022, is the tenth Gregorian calendar yahrzeit of the victims of
the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders. As is our custom on a yahrzeit, we
remember the slaughtered by name:
Rachel Avino, 29, behavior therapist
Dawn Hochsprung, 47, principal
Anne Marie Murphy, 52, special education teacher
Lauren Rousseau, 30, teacher
Mary Sherlach, 56, school psychologist
Victoria Leigh Soto, 27, teacher
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6
The perpetrator’s mother, Nancy Lanza, 52, was shot in her bed at home. The
perpetrator killed himself. Two who were wounded in the shooting, Natalie Hammond,
40, lead teacher, and Deborah Pisani, survived. (My source for these names,
occupations and ages is Wikipedia.)
On NPR this morning I heard the story of the family of Jeremy Richman, the father of
one of the victims, Avielle Richman. Avielle would be/should be sixteen years old now.
Avielle’s father struggled in the aftermath of the shootings and in 2019 took his own life.
Many, many others, whose names I do not know, carry the memory of the brutal murder
of their loved ones and friends.
There is ample evidence that the perpetrator suffered from mental illness and perhaps
also was what has come to be called neurodiverse. Surely our society of both
tremendous affluence and inexcusable disregard of the needs of the needy can better
address mental illness, especially among teens and young adults.
But what I find even more inexcusable is the easy availability of weapons for the killing
of humans. Somehow, commanding us not to commit murder was insufficient, and
Torah goes on to require us not to sacrifice our children (Leviticus 18:21). Thousands
of years later, we as a supposedly advanced society have much work to do. I am sick
of hearing about rights without any consideration of responsibilities.
The NPR story reminded me that saying “I cannot imagine” how survivors and their
families feel in the face of horror (whether shootings or terrorist actions or
homelessness or food insecurity or daily prejudice and persecution) is not good enough.
Try to imagine. Imagine yourself in others’ shoes and walk around a bit. Thoughts and
prayers are not enough. The Holy One requires our actions in this world to join the work
of healing and repair.
“These I remember”. Say their names. Then do something.
With blessings for a week of light and engagement.
Hazzan Steve
החזן שלמה זלמן עיט בן מרדכי מרגלן