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18 December 20 • 2012
Youngest Victim
Jewish student Noah Pozner, 6,
was struck down by gunman.
JTA
O
ne of the 20 children killed in the
Newtown school massacre last
Friday was a 6-year-old Jewish boy
whose twin sister and an 8-year-old sister
escaped the rampage at the Sandy Hook
School in Connecticut.
Noah Pozner was identified by the coro-
ner as the youngest of the victims.
Rabbi Shaul Prayer of Adath Israel in
Newtown said he had spent time with
Veronika Pozner, Noah's mother.
"I told her that I personally believe in the
eternity of the soul, and I believe that she
will see her son again:' Prayer said. "Other
than that theological comment, the rest of
it was getting her to think about taking a
breath and not trying to plan the rest of her
life out right now because she says, 'What
am I going to do without my baby?'"
Prayer was among the clergy, social
workers and psychologists who arrived at
a firehouse near the school where many of
the victims and their families congregated
after the shooting. On Saturday morning,
Adath Israel held a community prayer
and memorial service as part of its regular
Shabbat services.
The slain boy's uncle, Arthur Pozner
of Brooklyn, told Newsday that the fam-
ily moved from New York to idyllic
Connecticut because they believed it was
safer. They targeted Newtown for its top-
rated public schools.
Twelve girls, eight boys and six adult
women were killed in the shooting at
the school, said H. Wayne Carver II,
Connecticut's chief medical examiner. His
office was to autopsy the bodies of the gun-
man, Adam Lanza, who killed himself, and
his mother, who was killed at her home
near the school.
After the latest shooting tragedy, gun
control has become a more urgent issue.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
announced Sunday that she will introduce a
bill on the first day that Congress returns to
session in January to ban the sale of assault
weapons and the sale of clips of more than
10 bullets.
"I'm going to introduce it in the Senate,
and the same bill will be introduced in the
House Feinstein said on NBC's Meet the
Press.
B'nai B'rith International called for the
Local Reaction
Security No.1 priority.
A
s news of the Connecticut school shooting spread, heads
of local day schools responded by emailing letters to
parents of their students. Each email reassured parents
that security and the safety of their children is the No. 1 priority.
At Akiva [in Southfield], we are following the guidance of
many mental health professionals and are offering our students a
safe place to talk and process the facts and emotions if they want,"
Tzvi Klugerman, head of school, said in an email. "We also sent
out a list of Web-based resources to help parents navigate the con-
versations, if their children ask.
"On Monday, our Judaic Studies classes are dedicating the merit
of the Torah they learned to the neshamot (souls) of the victims,
one of the classic Jewish responses to tragedy"
Frankel Jewish Academy Head of School Rabbi Eric Grossman
said the West Bloomfield school would hold a memorial this week
at its weekly student Town Hall.
On Monday, FJA teacher Erin Holodnick's U.S. History students
spent time writing letters to the Sandy Hook Elementary com-
munity.
"Several students expressed, as they struggled to write, that there
was nothing they could say that would make the victims and their
families feel better" Holodnick wrote in an email. -We're not going
to take away the pain', said one student. 'But, if by saying we're
thinking of them helps even a little bit, it is worth it:"
At Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills, Steve Freedman, head
of school, wrote to parents, on Friday before Shabbat, "When you
hug your children, thank God for all of the blessings in our lives,
and let's have in our hearts, our prayers and our thoughts the par-
Noah Pozner
reinstatement of the assault weapons ban,
which went into effect in 1994, but was not
renewed when it expired a decade later.
And Jewish Council for Public Affairs
President Larry Gold said, "The intensity
of the emotion over the past few days has
reminded me how numb and desensitized
we have become to the atrocities that
unfold around us daily. The FBI reported
that, in 2011 alone, 8,583 individuals were
murdered by firearms in the United States.
It is estimated that an average elementary
school age child will witness over 8,000
murders and as many as 100,000 other acts
of violence on television. And far too many
Americans lack access to mental health ser-
vices that would reduce their isolation and
help improve their lives.
"We must use the wrenching hurt and
sorrow from this tragedy at Sandy Hook
to confront our national challenges of gun
violence and accessibility of quality mental
health care:'
❑
ents, families and community members who were touched by this
horrible tragedy:'
On Monday, Hillel students in grades 5-8 recited the memorial
prayers for the shooting victims at the end of morning minyan.
"We are telling [our older students] the best thing they can do
is to look inward and reflect on how they treat others:' Freedman
wrote. "All the laws in the world will make no difference if we do
not teach personal responsibility and the obligation to treat others
with dignity."
Heidi Budaj, new executive director of the Anti-Defamation
League Michigan Region (see story, page 26), addressed the over-
all security issue.
"In light of the horrific events in Connecticut, I would recom-
mend that all schools be more vigilant and security-minded in
the coming weeks' she said. "Historically, we have experienced
some disturbed individuals who attempt copy-cat crimes follow-
ing high-profile shootings. We have no reason to believe that any
of the children or teachers were attacked due to religion, race or
sexual orientation.
"The Detroit Jewish community has a security task force that
works hard to ensure the safety of our organizations and schools:'
she said. "We will continue to be vigilant and do all that we can to
make sure our population is safe and secure:'
Singer/songwriter Mike Posner, who grew up in Southfield,
wrote a song called Heaven in response to the shooting.
"Hey guys ... I wanted to do SOMETHING for the victims'
families, and I didn't really know what else to do" he tweeted. "I
hope this song finds its way to proper ears"
Find Posner's song on YouTube at http://bit.ly/TODGCA.
For advice on how to talk to your children about the shooting,
go to http://bit.ly/gEpmzf and http://bit.ly/bamfgM .
❑
Report by Story Development Editor Keri Guten Cohen.