STATEMENT ON CHRISTCHURCH SHOOTING

Friday, March 15, 2019

Sacramento, CA – The California Legislative Jewish Caucus released the following statement following the deadly mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand:

“We are outraged and heartbroken—we mourn with the Christchurch Muslim community and Muslims worldwide. Forty-nine Muslims were senselessly murdered in their holy space on their holy day by a white supremacist terrorist. We know all too well that Friday’s attack isn’t just another incident a world away; it is an attack on Muslims everywhere, and on all who suffer at the hands of this hateful, extremist ideology.

“As Jews, we remember the collective pain felt across our community after the Tree of Life shooting. Whether we knew the victims or not, we were hurting for our family. We were not blind to the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, but an act so violent, in our holy space on our holy day, shattered our last morsels of safety.

“We too have seen the recent increase in Islamophobic incidents in our country and around the world. We know that these incidents do not occur in a vacuum, and serve as the fuel for this most unimaginable violence. We must continue to call out and fight against this hatred wherever we see it, and change this tide through acts of love.

“The Jewish Caucus has been working with Muslim community leaders in California to build a strong partnership, particularly around issues of community safety and support. This is essential work, as our safety is bound up in one another’s.

“We remember how our Muslim brothers and sisters showed up for us after the Pittsburgh shooting, and we commit to doing the same for them today. Please consider joining us in supporting the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s emergency relief fund for the Muslim community following this attack. For other resources and ways to assist, please refer to the California Legislative Jewish Caucus Facebook page.”

 

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