18 March 21 • 2019
jn

Standing in Solidarity

Jewish community mourns with Muslims after 
massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I

n gestures of reciprocal love and 
unity that they received from their 
Muslim neighbors following the 
Pittsburgh Tree of Life massacre last 
October, rabbis, leaders and others in 
the Jewish community attended area 
mosques to mourn the New Zealand 
terror attacks that took the lives of 50 
innocent Muslims while they prayed 
Friday, March 15. 
Hundreds gathered for Friday 
afternoon prayers at the Muslim 
Unity Center (MUC) in Bloomfield 
Hills. The parking lot and the men’
s 
and women’
s galleries filled to capac-
ity as mourners of all faiths listened 
to the words of Imam Mohamed 
Almasmari. 
The MUC also held a vigil on 
Sunday, as did mosques in Dearborn 
and Detroit. 
Almasmari, who attended and 
spoke at a vigil held at Congregation 
Beth Shalom after the Pittsburgh 
murders, said that within hours of the 
New Zealand attack, he and his com-
munity had received an outpouring 
of love and solidarity from other faith 
and civic groups. 
“The most difficult moments bring 
out the best in us,” Almasmari said 
to a gathering of hundreds at last 
Friday’
s afternoon prayers. “Even 
when there are disagreements among 
our religious leaders, we will always 
stand together in solidarity.” 
Rabbis from many congregations, 
including Adat ShalomSynagogue, 
Temple Beth El, Temple Israel and 
Kehilat Eytz Chayim, attended the 
vigils.
At a Sunday vigil held at the 
Islamic Center of America in 
Dearborn, Rabbi Asher Lopatin of 
Kehillat Eytz Chaim spoke as a repre-
sentative of the larger Jewish commu-
nity. He said that upon entering the 
MUC on Friday to give comfort and 

support, it was he who felt welcomed 
and comforted by those who gathered 
there to mourn. After he spoke, he 
delivered the El Rachamim prayer, 
which he said was very similar to the 
Islamic prayer one says when there is 
news that someone has been killed. 
“We have to stick together from 
now on,” he said. “When we see each 
other, we must ask each other if we 
are OK, how can I help you? The 
haters want to separate us from each 
other. Instead, let us make a commit-
ment to fill our hearts with love and 
support for each other.”
In a statement released on Monday, 
Rabbi Aaron Bergman of Adat 
Shalom expressed his congregation’
s 
devastation to learn of yet another 
murder of innocent worshipers at 
prayer. Bergman said he reached out 
to the Anjumane Najmi Mosque in 
Farmington Hills, whose members 
were so kind to his congregation 
in the fall, and told them that Adat 
Shalom will be including them in 
their prayers. 
“The Muslim community is in 
mourning, not just in New Zealand, 
but all over the world and in our 
own neighborhoods,” he wrote. “I 
was so moved by the members of the 
Muslim community who reached out 
to the Jewish community after the 
shootings in Pittsburgh. They not 
only offered their condolences, but 
also helped the victims financially. 
“It is important that we as a syn-
agogue now help those who are in 
such pain. Let us all find a way to 
be a source of light and comfort for 
those who grieve and for those whose 
lives were lost.”
Bergman suggested donating to a 
crowdfunding site to help families of 
the victims at https://givealittle.co.nz/
cause/christchurch-shooting-
victims-fund. ■

MUSLIM UNITY CENTER

jews d
in 
the

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jews and Muslims comfort each other at a 

Sunday vigil at the Muslim Unity Center.

Essay Contest for 
High School Juniors and Seniors

CHESSED

Compassion and
caring for others

RODEF SHALOM

The pursuit of understanding,
empathy and mutual respect

SHALOM BAYIT

Harmony in
the home

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STRONGER COMMUNITY 
 The 
heart of a

100 MENSCHES is an initiative of JCADA,
the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse,
a program of Jewish Family Service.

Visit 100mensches.org for judging criteria,
student eligibility guidelines, and to download
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Please make sure your name isn’t on your
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These Jewish values may help guide your thinking:

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In the past couple of years, the #metoo movement 

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