THE RESULTS WOULDS HAVE BEEN FAR BETTER.
BETTER. THIS IS A CASE WHERE IF THEY HAD
AN ARMED GUARD INSIDE, THEY
MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP HIM
IMMEDIATELY.
IMMEDIATELY. SO THIS WOULD BE A CASE FOR IF
THERE WAS AN ARMED GUARD INSIDE
THE TEMPLE, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO STOP HIM.
>> AS WE WAIT FOR THE PRESIDENT
TO TAKE THE STAGE IN ILLINOIS, I
WANT TO HEAR FROM THE FAITH
COMMUNITY ABOUT TODAY’S TRAGEDY
AT THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE IN
PITTSBURGH.
PITTSBURGH. >> JOINING ME IS JOE WATKINS
PASTOR OF THE CHRIST EVANGELICAL
LUTHERAN CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA
AND RABBI DEBRA WAXMAN,
PRESIDENT OF THE
RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL
RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. I SPENT THE AFTERNOON SAYING WE
MARCH TOGETHER ON CRIMINAL
JUSTICE AND OTHERS.
TELL ME AS ONE THAT IS A LEADER
IN.
IN. THE FAITH WHAT THIS SAYS TO YOU.
WE’RE A LITTLE OVER YEAR AFTER
CHARLOTTESVILLE.
CHARLOTTESVILLE. WE’RE HERE NOW WITH THE LARGEST
MASS MURDER OF JEWISH AMERICANS
A SYNAGOGUE IN HISTORY.
HOW DO YOU AS A PERSON OF FAITH,
A FAITH LEADER, HOW DO YOU TRY
AND MOVE THE COMMUNITY FORWARD?
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME ON AND FOR ASKING THAT
QUESTION.
QUESTION. I APPRECIATE THE TWO PARTS OF
YOUR QUESTION, BOTH MY OWN FAITH
AND HOW TO LEAD AND HOW TO TALK
TOGETHER WITH COMMUNITIES ABOUT
THIS KIND OF HAPPENING.
WE -- THE JEWISH COMMUNITY HAS
ALWAYS FELT TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
HOPE AND OF CONFIDENCE ABOUT THE
PLACE THAT WE COULD FIND HERE IN
AMERICA BECAUSE OF THE PROMISES
EMBEDDED IN AMERICA’S FOUNDING
DOCUMENTS.
DOCUMENTS. THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED
EQUAL AND OH WE -- WE UNDERSTAND
THIS TO BE A PLACE FULL OF
POTENTIAL, SOME OF WHICH IS
REALIZED BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND
THAT WE OURSELVES ARE ONLY AS
SAFE AS THE MOST VULNERABLE
AMONG US, WHICH IS WHY THE
LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY HAS
BEEN SO IDENTIFIED WITH REFUGEE
RIGHTS, WITH CALLS FOR TRYING TO
DISMANTLE STRUCTURAL RACISM SO
THIS IS THIS MOMENT OF WE HAVE
BEEN LIVING SINCE
CHARLOTTESVILLE WITH
CHARLOTTESVILLE WITH UNCERTAINTY.
UNCERTAINTY. IS THIS A BLIP IN TIME?
ARE WE STILL ON THIS TRAJECTORY
OF INCLUSION AND OF FULFILLMENT
OF POTENTIAL OR IS THIS THE
HARBINGER OF SOMETHING
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. I THINK WHAT WE DO AT THIS
MOMENT IS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
TAKE COMFORT FROM THE WIDESPREAD
CONDEMNATION AND THE WIDESPREAD
SUPPORT THAT ARE EXTENDED OUR
WAY, THAT WE TURN INWARD TO
BOLSTER OURSELVES AND WE TURN
OUTWARD TO PARTNER WITH OTHER
COMMUNITIES TO WORK TO ACHIEVE
THE VISION OF INCLUSION AND OF
FULFILLMENT THAT WE THINK IS
REALLY TRULY POSSIBLE ON
AMERICAN SOIL.
AMERICAN SOIL. >> YOU KNOW, REVEREND WATKINS,
TALKING ABOUT INCLUSION, THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE
’60s THAT PRECEDED YOU AND I IN
TERMS OF OUR ACTIVE LIVES
BECAUSE WE WERE KIDS, THERE
WERE -- THIS BOND.
I TALK A LOT ABOUT AND WILL
CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT VOTING
RIGHTS AND VOTER SUPPRESSION AND
CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE. BUT LET’S NOT FORGET TWO JEWS
AND A BLACK, GOOD MAN, CHENEY
AND SOUTHWESTERNER DIED TO GET
THE RIGHT FOR BLACKS TO VOTE.
WE’RE STILL FIGHTING HA FIGHT.
RABBI ABRAHAM, JOSHUA HERBAL AND
OTHERS MARCHED WITH DR. KING.
THAT WILL INCLUSION IS SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE
PULPITS TOMORROW OF NONJEWISH
FAITH LEADERS.
FAITH LEADERS. >> I AGREE WITH YOU SO MUCH,
REVEREND AL.
REVEREND AL. YOU SHOULD NEVER PLAY DOWN YOUR
GREAT HISTORY IN CIVIL RIGHTS.
YOU’VE BEEN A CHAMPION FOR
PEOPLE OF COLOR AND FOR ALL
AMERICANS OVER THE YEARS.
>> AND YOU’RE A REPUBLICAN
SAYING THAT.
SAYING THAT. >> I’M A REPUBLICAN SAYING IT
BECAUSE IT’S THE TRUTH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE’VE GOT TO SAY WHAT’S TRUE.
I’M ALSO A PASTOR OF A CHURCH
AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TONIGHT TO
THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO LOST
THEIR LOVED ONES IN PITTSBURGH
TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE, INNOCENT
PEOPLE SLAUGHTERED BY THAT MAN
TODAY.
TODAY. AND OUR HEARSE GO OUT TO THE
POLICE OFFICERS WHO CARED ENOUGH
FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS TO PUT THEIR
LIVES ONLINE TO TRY TO SAVE
THEM.
THEM. OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THEIR
BRAVELY AND WE’RE JUST PRAYERFUL
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT IN OUR
PULPITS.
PULPITS. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO
TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS IF WE’RE
GOING TO TEACH PEOPLE PART OF
LOVING GOD WHO YOU CAN’T SEE IS
TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR WHO YOU
CAN SEE.
CAN SEE. THAT MESSAGE HAS TO BE LOUD AND
CLEAR AND STRONG.
THE ANSWER IS NOT FOR US TO HAVE
ARMED GUARDS AT THE ENTRANCE OF
OUR CHURCH, THE CHURCH THAT I
SERVE IS A PLACE THAT WELCOMES
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY. WE’RE A PLACE OF PEOPLE WHO IN
SOME CASES ARE SPIRITUALLY SICK.
WE WELCOME THEM IN SO THEY CAN
GET WELL.
GET WELL. WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THE SAME
GOD WE KNOW.
AND SO OUR CHURCHES ARE MEANT TO
BE A WELCOMING PLACE.
SO THE WHOLE MESSAGE IS TO BE
ABOUT LOVE AND LOVING YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOUR LOVE YOURSELF
AND TONIGHT, WE MOURN FOR THOSE
FAMILIES IN PITTSBURGH BUT WE
HOPE THERE’S HOPE GOING FORWARD
FOR OUR NATION TO REALLY BE
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. >> RABBI, YOU KNOW THE PRESIDENT
RIGHT AWAY SAID THEY SHOULD HAVE
AN ARMED GUARD THERE.
AND WE DOVE KNOW YET WHAT THE
INVESTIGATION WILL SAY.
THEY HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT
BOWERS CAN HAD ONE RIFLE AND
THREE HANDGUNS.
THREE HANDGUNS. BUT WHAT I’M CONCERNED ABOUT
FAITH LEADERS DEALING WITH IS
THE MORAL CLIMATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. IN ONE WEEK, WE’VE DEALT WITH
PIPE BOMBS AND NOW A MASSACRE.
WHAT ARE WE NORMALIZING TO OUR
CHILDREN IN THIS COUNTRY?
OF ALL RACES AND ALL FAITHS
WHERE EVERY DAY IS THIS DIET OF
VIOLENCE AND THIS DIET OF MAN’S
INHUMANITY TO MAN?
WHERE IS THE MORAL COMPASS IN
THIS COUNTRY GOING?
>> I MEAN, I THINK THAT’S THE
CRITICAL QUESTION.
CRITICAL QUESTION. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WHERE THE NEED TO ARM SYNAGOGUES
AND CHURCHES I THINK FIRST OF
ALL, FOUR POLICE OFFICERS WERE
WOUNDED IN THIS SHOOT-OUT.
I DON’T KNOW THAT ANY ONE --
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO HAVE
STOPPED HIM.
STOPPED HIM. IT TOOK A FAIRLY MASSIVE FORCE
TO STOP HIM.
WHAT I THINK THAT DOES IS THAT
DIVERTS ATTENTION AWAY FROM WHAT
YOU JUST POINTED OUT.
WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING AS
FAITH LEADERS AND ALL THE MORAL
LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS
ARTICULATE WHAT IT IS THAT WE
WANT TO BE LIVING FOR, WHAT IT
IS OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO BE RISKING
AND HOW DO WE PUT FORWARD THAT
VISION OF LOVE, THAT VISION OF
RECOGNIZING EVERY INDIVIDUAL IS
CREATED IN THE JEWISH TRADITION
WE SAY IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.
HOW DO WE PUT THAT FORWARD IN
WAYS THAT ARE COMPELLING THAT
URGE PEOPLE TO STEP FORWARD, TO
PRO ACTIVELY BUILD THAT WE WANT
TO SEE AND IN A WAY THAT
DISMANTLES AND DISARE UPS THE
HATRED AND THE DETERIORATION
THAT WE’RE SEEING.
>> AND I THINK THAT IS THE
QUESTION BEFORE US, JOE WATKINS,
HOW WE GO FORWARD, CONTINUE TO
FIGHT AGAINST WRONG, RACISM,
MEMO PHOBIA XENOPHOBIA BUT ALSO
DO IT IN A WAY WE DON’T BECOME
WHAT WE’RE FIGHTING.
THANK YOU PASTOR WAT KINS AND
RABBI WAXMAN.
RABBI WAXMAN. UP NEXT, THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
OUT OF PITTSBURGH AND THE