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LETTERS

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A

Why Children Shoot Children

nother headline ... another school shooting. But where's the outrage?
Littleton, Colo., Mount Morris Township, Mich., and now San
Diego — with -dozens of other reports of students shooting class-
mates over the past two years.
Isn't one of the Ten Commandments, "Thou Shalt Not Kill?" Is the catalyst
for the rash of school shootings diminished respect among young people for
human life?
Sure, these shootings are mostly occurring in public schools.
But the majority of Jewish schoolchildren nationwide attend
such schools. So it's our problem, too.
We should especially probe how schoolchildren get guns.
They often secure them through family members or friends
who have licensed weapons but who are unwitting suppliers.
Last week, the Associated Press reported that an 18-year-old
senior armed with a shotgun and a handgun wounded at least
three students and two teachers with shotgun pellets at Granite
Hills High School near San Diego. El Cajon police then
ROBERT A.
wounded the suspect, Jason Hoffman.
SKLAR
The motive in this and similar shootings is hard to pinpoint.
Editor
Variously, school shooters have been identified as depressed and
angry at the world. Granite Hills students described Hoffman as
intimidating and a hate-filled loner. They say he had talked of duplicating the 1999
Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., where two students killed 12
classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 others before killing themselves.
Hoffman's weapons of choice: a 12-gauge shotgun and a .22-caliber semi-
automatic handgun. Will the day soon come when metal detectors become
part of our school entrances, like they already are at some big-city high
schools? That might help keep guns out of school buildings, but it won't keep
them off school grounds.

Probing The Urge

Looking to Pirkei Avot, "Teachings of the Sages," Rabbi
Yehoshua teaches: The begrudging eye, the evil impulse and
hatred of one's fellow human being will ruin a person's life."
In that wisdom lays the reason behind most of the
school shootings: the urge to react violently. What it does-
n't explore is what triggers that urge.
Troubled students seeking emotional outlets typically
provoke school shootings. Signs of trouble precede the gunfire in many cases.
Students, as well as educators and parents, need to be more responsive to such
signs. When Jason Hoffman spoke of Columbine, somebody should have taken
notice and alerted authorities. When 15-year-old Andy Williams "jokingly" said
he planned to shoot up Santana High School in Santee, Calif., somebody
should have spoken up. Two days later, on March 5, Williams killed two stu-
dents and wounded 13 others, police said.
It could be that, through their overt hints, twisted as they were, these two
unstable teenagers somehow were seeking help before desperation consumed
them. Someone should have responded. Helping the wayward is the right thing
to do whatever one's upbringing.
As Jews, we teach that the home is the epicenter of the spiritual universe and
we look to the synagogue for spiritual enrichment. We teach that parents, not
the forces of a secular society, are accountable for their children's sense of values.
When parental influence falters, the rest of the community needs to tap its
ecumenical resources and rally around children who are drifting and, through
their confused or calculating mental state, inviting intervention.
Simply, we need to refocus our busy lives so we can more readily detect
developing storm clouds amid the seeming sunshine over our children. That's
the only way we're going to have a clear shot ar averting carnage in a public,
parochial or private school.
Both Jason Hoffman and Andy Williams shared their innermost demons in
surprisingly open ways before opening fire, but no one really heard what they
were saying. That's as much of a tragedy as the gunplay that followed. El

Shoah Service
Was Moving

We have just returned from the
National Shrine of the Little Flower,
where we participated in the Ecu-
menical Institute for Jewish-Christian
Studies' Christian Holocaust memori-
al service ("Controversial Words,"
March 23, page 10).
After passing a line of pathetic pro-
testors outside the church, we were
handed a beautifully prepared pro-
gram for the exquisite, most meaning-
ful services we have ever had the priv-
ilege of attending.
More than half a dozen clergymen
and women from various Christian
denominations took part in heart-
rending readings; 11 candles were lit,
one for each of the 6 million Jews and
5 million others who perished in the
Holocaust.
The main speaker, Dr. Franklin
Lirrell, a nationally known and
respected Christian authority on the
Holocaust, delivered a memorable
address. Adat Shalom Synagogue
Cantor Larry Vieder led both the Ani
il/IdAmin and the Kaddish for us all.
Many a tear was shed by those of
us attending. It is indeed a pity that
the audience was rather meager for
such a significant ecumenical event.
We were pleased to note that the two
Austrian interns serving at our Holo-
caust Memorial Center were atten-
dees, but sadly, too many members of
the Jewish community were absent.

Eric Billes
West Bloomfield

A Special Life
Warmly Recalled

Just wanted to thank you for a heart-
warming and uplifting story on
Danny Friedman ("One Dream At A
Time," March 23, page 14).
Our family was first lucky enough
to meet Danny and his mom, Linda,
when Danny and our son, Andrew,
were classmates.
Linda and Danny are two very spe-
cial people. Linda is the kind of mom
who would move a mountain if it
would help her child.
Diane Margolis-Baum
Andrew Baum

West Bloomfield

LETTERS on page 6

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