I read about the attack in Crown Heights with a heavy heart. Another Jew attacked in a place of worship while communicating with God? The attacker said “I will kill the Jew, I want to kill the Jew!”

Why did such an incident occur? Why attacks religiously motivated against Jews? I dont get it and continue to have more questions than answers.

I felt the same way when I asked for a moment of silence this past Shabbat over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. I strongly believe that a large part of the excessive use of force against these two armed black men had to do with the color of their skin. Yes the men resisted arrest but they were unarmed, so why was there a shooting and a violent headlock? Police brutality is not a new issue but it is certainly one that has risen to the forefront recently, and unfortunately I believe that without indictments it will continue. Why not be a George Zimmerman, taking the law into ones own hands, when you can get away with it? Why not use force to fatally subdue someone and then argue that it was merely an act of self defense?

If I am to express outrage when a Jew is attacked I strongly believe I need to for any attack, regardless of one’s race, religion or creed. I dont know when this vicious cycle of hatred will end, but I pray for an end to the violence and for more diversity training in schools so that we can learn to respect “the other”-for one will not murder someone who s/he respects.