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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING REMARKS OF RABBI DR. ISRAEL ZOBERMAN
______
HON. A. DONALD McEACHIN
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 9, 2019
Mr. McEACHIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a
statement from Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, founder and spiritual leader
of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach, and the representative of the
Jewish community at the City of Chesapeake's civic occasions.
Consider ``Day of Caring'' To Honor Beach Victims
(By Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman)
At this trying and beclouded time of grief and sorrow, we
gradually and painfully come to grips with the enormity of
our losses diminishing us all as well as our newly discovered
vulnerabilities. Our beloved Virginia Beach and the entire
Hampton Roads community lost its beautiful but dangerously
blinding innocence on that fateful Friday afternoon. How
could we imagine that the mass shootings in other regions
would not reach us too? Truth to be told no one is insulated
and immune in the wide American landscape. What happens
around us near and far is bound to affect us at home.
However, we are obligated to protect ourselves as best as we
can given whatever limitations we face.
We are called upon now to pick up together the shattered
pieces of a complex and confounding reality to reemerge
rededicated and reenergized to make our threatened world,
inwardly and outwardly, a safer home and better place for one
and all. Our fallen 12 heroes who so callously and cowardly
were taken from their loving families, co-workers, neighbors,
friends and all of us, deserve no less. For their cherished
memories' sake and our very survival and future let us engage
more than ever with those around us, particularly the ones we
deem to be beyond our intimate circle of close associates.
We acknowledge that the social phenomenon of alienation is
a hallmark of our challenging times. Pleasant surprises do
await us when willing to reach out beyond the familiar and
engage others in simple but far-reaching acts of human
interaction that hitherto we regarded as too threatening and
non-consequential. There is much to be learned, gained and
prevented by exercising our extraordinary ability of ordinary
communication in our wonderfully diverse human environment in
Hampton Roads in which too many may feel lonely, unnoticed
and undervalued.
So called ``strangers'' cease to be strangers once we
encounter and appreciate our common humanity and shared
American dream in which we all have a critical stake. The
Bible wisely instructs us that a celebration is not complete
without including the strangers in our midst so they may
transform their status, claiming their rightful place in
society and in our hearts. Spreading more and more conscious
but random acts of kindness and goodness in our shared garden
of life and civic exchange, is bound to grow beneficial
returns in kind. At times a reassuring smile and a generous
act on the road and in the office can go a long way and even
stymie road and office rage.
Our democratic and educational institutions on all levels
demand our involvement and support that necessary change
should occur. Surely prudent and common-sense gun control
legislation along with an accountable and responsible mental
health system are on the agenda. Are we waiting for more mass
shootings' tragedies, oceans of tears and cries of family
survivors of different languages and geographies, and heart-
wrenching memorial services to propel us into action? Ought
we not teach, beginning at one's home, that each finite human
life is of infinite worth, and each of us is an entire,
irreplaceable universe of purpose and meaning reflecting the
Most High? We are witnesses to what irreparable damage can be
done by a few minutes of unchecked madness and unrelenting
evil, using weapons of mass destruction equipped with
silencers. Let us not allow a corrosive culture of death to
replace a promising culture of life.
It would be advantageous for our entire nation to take a
day out for national soul-searching and resolve to delve into
issues that should be paramount on our American agenda. A day
in which we engage in discussions and activities toward
healing our nation, creating a ``National Day of Caring''
that would create a ripple effect. The slogan ``VB Strong''
has joined us to the sorrowful and hurting family of
previously affected communities, even as we pray and plan
that our Virginia Beach is the last in such an unenviable
category of suffering. I suggest that we be better served by
the slogan, ``VB Cares,'' which is ultimately the source of
authentic strength. What befell us will surely not define us,
but we cannot deny it. It may yet refine us to become more
compassionate, considerate and connected with each other. My
99-year-old mom, a Polish Holocaust survivor, called me from
Israel that dark day, asking, ``What's happening to
America?''
Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founder and spiritual
leader of Temple Lev Tikvah in Virginia Beach. He is Honorary
Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church
in Virginia Beach. He represents the Jewish community at the
city of Chesapeake's civic occasions.
____________________
