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Sunday, October 28, 2018

THE WORLDS ONLY CRUCIFORM SYNAGOGUE, SAVANNAH’S JEWISH CONGREGATION POKES ANTISEMITIC HATE IN THE EYE

Shalom Y'all Jewish Festival will continue
Congregation Mickve Israel leaders say they refuse to let hatred deter their celebration of diversity at Sunday’s Shalom Y’all Jewish Festival.

“We are praying for those in Pittsburgh,” said Bubba Rosenthal, president of Congregation Mickve Israel, which hosts the festival. “This is not only an affront to the Jewish community but an affront to anyone who loves freedom and religious diversity. We will not let this affect us. We will persevere and continue.”

Police say around 1 p.m. Saturday Robert Bowers opened fire during a baby-naming ceremony at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The shooting is being investigated as federal hate crime.

Savannah organizers say they won't let the act of violence keep them from engaging with the community.
Congregation Mickve Israel is slated to host the 30th annual food festival from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday in Monterey Square. The event is free to attend.


Temple Mickve Israel in Savannah [PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS]
“We will be having the festival,” Rosenthal said. “There will be additional security. We already have security ever year but we added more. We will not let an anti-Semite affect what we are doing in our community. We encourage people to come out.”

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Father, I see that Trump has blamed the Pittsburg synagogue for not having armed guards. I know you’re a big supporter of his agenda. Will you be posting security at St. Anne’s? Preferably enough firepower to repulse a maniac with an AR-15. Thank you!

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

The laity in my parish many in law enforcement and the army infantry have long ago insured me that they are well equipped to handle this kind of crisis at St. Anne’s! Thank you very much for this lay initiative!

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

As well as assured me

TJM said...

During the Know Nothing Movement in the 19th Century, Archbishop McCloskey of New York posted armed guards to protect Catholic Churches there. Apparently, it was effective.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good idea. The Know Nothings are back with a vengeance.

Anonymous said...

If America’s scorned immigrants of 2018 began posting scary armed guards st their temples, synagogues & mosques, the TJMs of the world would become connipted.

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

I'm just back from the Shalom Y'all Jewish food festival in Monterey Square in downtown Savannah. The (Irish) corned beef sandwich and the (non-Irish) blintzes were delish. The weather today is absolutely perfect - cool, clear, and breezy.

I spoke briefly with Rabbi Robert Haas - he was very busy as you can imagine. He thanked me for being present with his community, as did a handful of other members of Mickve Israel Synagogue. We had Rabbi Haas here at St. Peter Parish two summers ago at the end of the series I presented on Judaism. We used "The Story of the Jews," a superb documentary featuring British historian Simon Schama.




TJM said...

Anonymous Kavanaugh,

No the illegal immigrants would not be here in the first place if the rule of law was being honored like the Dems up until about 10 years ago claimed to be in favor of, but when you abort your future voters you need to make them up somewhere.

DJR said...

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said..."I'm just back from the Shalom Y'all Jewish food festival in Monterey Square in downtown Savannah."

Breaking News: "U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh says he's seeking approval for the death penalty against shooting suspect Robert Bowers."

Father Kavanaugh, are you going to publicly denounce this decision to seek the death penalty for this man?

And will you explain to Rabbi Haas why you do so?

Catechism: "Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that 'the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,' and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide."

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

DJR - I am opposed to the imposition of the death penalty in all circumstances. Why do you think I must "publicly denounce" the US Attorney's decision or explain it to Rabbi Haas.

Anonymous said...

The shooter might actually want the death penalty, creating a "martyr" complex. Maybe a lifetime rotting in jail would be better.

John Nolan said...

The death penalty as applied in the US has no deterrent value because of the inordinate amount of time between sentence and execution, decades in some cases.

Even the execution procedure is a somewhat drawn-out affair. Between 1943 and 1945 sixteen American servicemen were hanged in England after conviction by US court martial. The executions were carried out by Thomas Pierrepoint, usually assisted by his nephew Albert, according to British norms. Even so, the condemned man had to stand on the trap for six minutes while the indictment was read out to him, a delay that Pierrepoint regarded as 'sickening'.

Six of the executions were for rape, which had not been a capital crime in the UK for a hundred years, and a disproportionate number of those hanged were black.

TJM said...

What about the death penalty inflicted on the unborn, the most innocent form of human life?

Anonymous said...

The death penalty is a punishment based on a trial, a jury verdict, and the decision of the judge.

Abortion is not the death penalty - it is not a punishment based on a trial, jury verdict, and the decision of the judge. It is the unjust taking of innocent life.

The two are not comparable.

Anonymous said...

You can be against abortion and against the death penalty, you know.
You're not ordering in a restaurant. You don't have to choose being for one or the other. That's stupid, stupid thinking that conservatives try to push to avoid thinking about issues and making up your own mind.

TJM said...

I find it morally inconsistent to be against the death penalty for the evil criminal but so very supportive of killing an innocent baby. Sick

John Nolan said...

PJ O'Rourke, some twenty-five years ago, had this to say about liberals who advocate killing unborn babies but not convicted murderers.

'A callous pragmatist might favor abortion and capital punishment. A devout Christian would sanction neither. But it takes years of therapy to arrive at the liberal view.'

Anonymous said...

I find it morally inconsistent to be so very supportive of the death penalty but to oppose abortion.

(I am unalterably opposed to abortion, by the way.)

Daniel not Kavanaugh said...

Capital punishment is a government decision, made under power of law, done in our names. We're all responsible.
I find abortion abhorrent under my own beliefs, but each decision is made by an individual, made under their own beliefs. Jewish religious traditions, for example, state that when a pregnancy threatens a woman, her health should come first.
I would never aid & abet an abortion or give my consent or offer financial support.
However, I don't feel comfortable enforcing my beliefs into law in an area where there is no societal consensus.
One way to change that consensus is to educate people about abortion and its consequences. Also, as a Catholic, I try to protect all life, not just the lives of white Christians.
I believe we also need to prevent abortions by making sure women get health care & counseling & material support & access to adoption services. I enthusiastically support charities that provide help to pregnant single women who are often alone.
I also support all sorts of programs that provide housing and education and food assistance and medical assistance to young needy families. More women will keep those babies if they can see a path to success.
That is why I am a liberal and pro-life.