This weekend has been an emotional one for American Jews. We thank the more than 500 members of our Sarasota-Manatee community who came out to our Community-Wide Memorial Service on Thursday night. It was extremely meaningful and brought many of us a sense of comfort in such a fulfilling way. The following day was the Fourth of July, a holiday in which Americans celebrate freedom and the founding of our nation. For many of us it was a day of reflection in the wake of the horrible violence over the past 3 weeks in a place we call our second home. How lucky we are to live in a country where we can protect our borders and retaliate against acts of war without being called violators of human rights. Then, the worst news of all, that the young Arab boy who was murdered in East Jerusalem was, in fact, murdered by Israelis.
Over the weekend The Jewish Federations of North American released the following statement that we agree with to the fullest.
“The Jewish Federations of North America condemn the brutal murder of 16-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and is appalled by the heinous nature of this crime. We commend the Israeli Police for the swift arrests, and have full confidence that the Israeli justice system will ensure that those responsible will be punished to the full extent of the law.”
“Jewish Federations endorse the sentiments expressed by Israel’s leaders rejecting all forms of violence and calling for new efforts at achieving peaceful coexistence. We echo the strong words of Rachel Frankel, mother of murdered Israeli teen, Naftali, who said: “If a young Arab really was murdered for nationalist reasons, this is a horrifying and shocking act. There is no difference between blood and blood. Murder is murder. There is no justification, no pardon and no atonement for murder.”
At The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee we condemn the senseless murders of all 4-boys over the past 3-weeks in Israel. We cannot forget that all of these boys should still be alive today. Murder is Murder.
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