OUR COMMUNITY

O

n Tuesday, Nov. 30, 
the unthinkable 
became reality as a 
disturbed teenaged boy opened 
fire at Oxford High School in 
Oakland County, killing four 
teenagers and wounding seven 
others, including one teacher. 
The 15-year-old suspect has 
been charged as an adult with 
terrorism causing death, four 
counts of first-degree murder, 
seven counts of assault with 
intent to murder and 12 counts 
of possession of a firearm 
during the commission of a fel-
ony. He is being held without 
bond at the Oakland County 
Jail.

Columbine. Sandy Hook. 
Parkland. Now Oxford. 
Parents and students’ worst 
nightmare has come to our 
own doorstep, and Detroit’s 
Jewish community is doing 
all it can to lend prayers and 
support to the Oxford com-
munity, and comfort to local 
parents and students who are 
understandably filled with fear 
and sadness because of this 
tragedy.

PRAYERS FOR 
THE VICTIMS
Rabbi Aaron Starr of 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek 
in Southfield posted this 
prayer on social media: 
 “Our God and God of our 
ancestors, be with us as we 
heal from yet another shoot-
ing tragedy. Comfort the 
families of those murdered 
children and those injured, 
and may those who survived 
know a full and speedy recov-

ery. Lift up the students, fac-
ulty, administration and staff 
of Oxford High School, dear 
God, that they will know good 
days again. 
“Grant wisdom to the gun 
owners, legislators and mental 
health professionals among us, 
that they will be wise enough 
to know how to keep guns out 
of children’s hands. Heavenly 
Parent, raise Your shelter of 
peace over our children and 
their families throughout our 
land, that we will know a day 
when each and every person 
shall sit under his vine and 
fig tree that none — nothing 
and no one — will make them 
afraid. And let us say, through 
the anger, the tears and the 
fear, Amen.”
Head of School Dr. Joshua 
Levisohn at Farber Hebrew 
Day School in Southfield 
spoke to the high school stu-
dents at the end of davening 
the day after the shooting: 

“One of our core values is 
acharayut/responsibility, 
responsibility for the commu-
nities we live in, responsibility 
for the communities around 
us. In order to feel a sense of 
responsibility, we must first 
feel a sense of connectedness. 
When a shooting occurs in 
a high school not all that far 
from here, we feel it in our 
insides, we feel the pain, the 
horror and sadness. 
“When Jews feel pain and 
sadness, when they feel like 
they are in the depths, we 
reach out to Hashem for help. 
Sometimes, we don’t even 
know how we want Him to 
help us — to heal the suf-
fering in Oxford, to comfort 
the relatives of the victims, to 
assuage our own fears, to help 
us feel less alone and helpless. 
We recite today the chapter in 
Tehilim that begins with the 
words, ‘from our depths, we 
call out to you Hashem’ — in 

The Jewish 

community lifts 

up the Oxford 

community 

in prayer and 

support.

Response to Tragedy

JACKIE HEADAPOHL 
DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

16 | DECEMBER 9 • 2021 

