A man prays outside the Tree of Life synagogue following Saturday's shooting in Pittsburgh.CATHAL MCNAUGHTON/Reuters
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A synagogue, anywhere
Re Synagogue Killings In Pittsburgh Shake U.S. (Oct. 29): For more than 25 years with the Canadian Jewish Congress we had the unenviable task of ensuring the safety of Jewish communal buildings and synagogues across the country. All my staff worried constantly a Jew-hater might one day walk into one of our buildings and just start shooting. Many of us had sleepless nights considering this very real scenario. Tragically, over the weekend in Pittsburgh that is exactly what happened. My heart is broken. This could have been any synagogue, anywhere in the world. It could have been any Jew anywhere.
Today, I will think of my loved ones and reach out to them. Today, I will consider the hardships wrought by hatred. But most of all, today I will be thinking of those who attended the Tree of Life Shabbat services last Saturday, never realizing it would be their last day on Earth. May their memories be for a blessing.
Bernie M. Farber, former CEO, Canadian Jewish Congress; chair, Canadian Anti-Hate Network
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The late Leah Rabin blamed then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu for her husband’s assassination. She accused him of fomenting hatred against Yitzhak Rabin for concluding the Oslo Accords, which many consider the last real attempt to make peace with the Palestinians.
In America, one man’s hatred of Jews and immigrants columbined to produce the Sabbath shootings, the worst such incident in a U.S. Jewish house of worship. The suspect condemned those Jews who, a week prior, organized a Sabbath vigil in support of the caravan of migrants heading toward the southern border. From one Shabbat to another …
Donald Trump’s nativist rhetoric, previous reference to the good neo-Nazis of Charlottesville, and current use of the caravan as a hot-button issue in the run-up to the mid-terms surely helped ignite the hatred smouldering in the killer. How many more Rabin moments will Americans wake up to, before they finally wake up?
Howard Greenfield, Montreal
Guns. Are. America
Re A Neighbourhood Built On Tolerance Mourns Under Hate’s Weight (Oct. 29): Columnist David Shribman was, I’m afraid, wrong to speak of “unendurable loss.” Americans have demonstrated repeatedly that they will endure any loss in thrall to their gun fetish.
Michael D. Arkin, Toronto
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It seems each time there is a shooting in the U.S. that causes multiple casualties, there is a sense of wonder that this type of thing can happen there. Shortly after the synagogue shooting, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf tweeted: “These senseless acts of violence are not who we are as Americans.” Someone should remind him that back in February, it had already been reported that there had been 1,624 mass shootings in 1,870 days in the U.S.
The FBI defines a mass shooting as four or more persons killed or wounded. These numbers suggest the Governor should realize this type of violence is representative of just who Americans are. The perpetrators of these crimes have various faiths, racial identities and ages. The only thing that seems to be consistent is that the shooters are almost always male.
Stuart Wright, Trenton, Ont.
Blame the media
Re Conservatives Increase Criticism Of Media And Reporters (Oct. 27): How sad that a major Canadian political party wants to increase criticism of media and reporters as part of its strategy. Not only is that importing a divisive Trump rally-and-Twitter tactic, it also assumes Canadian voters can’t tell the difference between actual news and editorial opinion in our newspapers and broadcast media.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says “everyday Canadians [need] someone who will stand up to … the media and the privileged elite.” Really? I can’t speak for what other “everyday Canadians” need, but I am sure that what we don’t need from our government is the toxic media bashing that is now an everyday occurrence in the United States.
Andrew Thomas, Kingston
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And so it begins. Bereft of practical policies and new ideas, Andrew Scheer looks across the border and appears to have determined the path to power lies in abuse. Start with discrediting the media. Is “fake news” next on his agenda? Shame on him.
Linda Carlson, Victoria
Sex abuse in sports
Re Experts Say Parents Key In Preventing Sexual Abuse In Sports (Sports, Oct. 27): Of course parents are one of the keys, but children are not the only victims of abuse in sport. Those include staff of sports organizations, adult athletes and referees/officials. Even where children are victims, there is often evidence that, as part of the grooming process, parents were befriended by the abuser prior to the abuse, making it less likely they will believe their children in the rare cases when kids disclose the abuse to parents.
While preventing and ending abuse in sport is everyone’s responsibility, abuse is occurring on sport organizations’ watch. It is their responsibility to have clear policies, practices and procedures in place to prevent and to end abuse and abusive practices in their organizations.
Since conflicts of interest in sport organizations appear to have been a key factor in the current policy failure, it is time to develop an independent agency. When conflicts of interest have been apparent in the past, with regard to doping and dispute resolution, arm’s length agencies were developed to resolve the problems – the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, and the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada respectively. Surely the abuse of children and others is at least as important as doping and dispute resolution, and warrants a solution that has a chance of working.
Peter Donnelly, director, Centre for Sport Policy Studies, University of Toronto
Genocide by indifference
Re Chief Fought For Justice For A People Poisoned By Mercury (Obituaries, Oct. 27): Helen Fein, an American scholar of comparative genocide, coined the term “genocide by attrition,” genocide by deliberate starvation, exposure or disease. The charge of genocide requires proof of intent, but Prof. Fein argued intent could be inferred from action, or in the case of Grassy Narrows, inaction.
We’ve known for decades of the harmful effects of mercury poisoning on the people of Grassy Narrows, yet the government still hasn’t cleaned up the poisonous rivers. Perhaps we need a new term, genocide by indifference.
Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, Canada Research Chair in International Human Rights 2003-16, Wilfrid Laurier University
Hmm …
Re You Aren’t What You Eat (Opinion, Oct. 27): You ask, “Why do we think an heirloom tomato purchased at a farmer’s market is ‘better’ than a hothouse tomato bought at the grocery store?”
Because it tastes a lot better?
Craig Sims, Kingston