Henderson: ‘I Was Frightened for Our Nation’ After Synagogue Attack
‘Do any of us believe this couldn’t happen in our social circle, the communities where we live, or in the places we worship?’
The following is a reflection by Stephen Henderson, host of Detroit Today, on the Tree of Life Synagogue attack over the weekend in Pittsburgh:
I was frightened this weekend by the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh… frightened for the community that endured the violence, for the Jewish citizens of our country, and for the direction we seem to be headed.
I was frightened for myself, too, in a much smaller but poignant way.
Do any of us believe this couldn’t happen in our social circle, the communities where we live, or in the places we worship?
I’d say I was frightened for our nation, but increasingly I don’t think that’s even a thing anymore. Can we credibly call ourselves a nation? One nation? Or are we a bunch of different countries – with different beliefs and aspirations and moral centers, trying to find a way to still be a nation?
This is where we are right now: Jews killed at worship; blacks targeted for no reason; bombs mailed to political enemies.
How is it even possible we could get past this, put things back together, and go forward, together?
On Detroit Today, Henderson speaks with Howard Lupovitch, associate professor of history and director of the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University.
“I think for American Jews, more broadly, this is kind of a wake up call,” says Lupovitch. “Jews in America haven’t really experienced” the kind of antisemitism that involves targeted violence on this scale, he says.
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
