Photo by Lawrie Cate, flickr; illustration selected by MeridaGOround
THIS IS NEWS. I think it is rare, and historic. But it has already mostly been censored, pulled from view, (correction: my report originally said “less than an hour after appearing at npr” but that was based on a timestamp of 5:33pm,Nov.2 which may have been the audio version of a visible story which first posted online at 5:20pm, Nov.1 — but that does not excuse removal of a major invitation on the eve of such a solemn memorial.). The link below is still working, as of now. The buried article (below) invites people of faith across America to attend Jewish services Saturday, in memory of the shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburgh:
Here is a peek at the headline of npr’s article, posted as fair use, considering journalistic practices: <being paste of audio intro to above article>
Americans Of All Faiths Plan To Attend Shabbat Services In Solidarity With Jews
There is a call for non-Jews to join Jewish congregations this weekend in a show of solidarity. A rabbi and a pastor in St. Louis talks about the event, labeled #ShowUpForShabbat.
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ADDED BY MeridaGOround :
Here, I believe, is the normal Jewish lectionary for the week, being read tomorrow (Sat Nov.3) : 1Kings1:1-31 (It reports on a change of leadership.)
The text, from the Complete Jewish Bible: https://www.biblestudytools.com/cjb/1-kings/1.html —
1 King David grew old, the years took their toll, and he couldn’t get warm even when they covered him with bedclothes.
2 His servants said to him, “Let us try to find a young virgin for my lord the king. She can wait on the king and be a companion for him, and she can lie next to you, so that my lord the king will get some heat.”
3 After looking through all of Isra’el’s territory for a beautiful girl, they found Avishag the Shunamit and brought her to the king.
4 The girl was very beautiful and became a companion for the king. She took care of him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.
5 Adoniyah the son of Haggit was beginning to claim that he would be king; to this end he organized chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
6 (His father had never in his life confronted him by asking, “Why are you behaving this way?” Moreover, he was a very handsome man; he was born next after Avshalom.)
7 He conferred with Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah and Evyatar the cohen; and they both supported Adoniyah.
8 But Tzadok the cohen, B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada, Natan the prophet, Shim’i, Re’i and David’s elite guard were not on Adoniyah’s side.
9 One day Adoniyah killed sheep, oxen and fattened calves at the Stone of Zochelet, by ‘Ein-Rogel. He summoned all his brothers the king’s sons, and all the men of Y’hudah the king’s servants;
10 but he did not summon Natan the prophet, B’nayah, the elite guard or Shlomo his brother.
11 Natan went to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo and said, “Haven’t you heard that Adoniyah the son of Haggit has become king without the knowledge of David our lord?
12 Now, come, please let me give you advice, so that you can save both your own life and that of your son Shlomo.
13 Go, get in to see King David, and say to him, ‘My lord, king, didn’t you swear to your servant, “Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why is Adoniyah king?’
14 Right then, while you are still talking with the king, I will also come in after you and confirm what you are saying.”
15 Bat-Sheva went in to the king in his room. (The king was very old; Avishag the Shunamit was in attendance on the king.)
16 Bat-Sheva bowed, prostrating herself to the king. The king asked, “What do you want?”
17 She answered him, “My lord, you swore by ADONAI your God to your servant, ‘Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne.’
18 But now, here is Adoniyah ruling as king; and you, my lord the king, don’t know anything about it.
19 He has killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the sons of the king, Evyatar the cohen and Yo’av the commander of the army; but he didn’t summon Shlomo your servant.
20 As for you, my lord the king, all Isra’el is watching you; they are waiting for you to tell them who is to sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 If you don’t, then, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, I and my son Shlomo will be considered criminals.”
22 Right then, while she was still talking with the king, Natan the prophet entered.
23They told the king, “Natan the prophet is here.” After coming into the king’s presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 Natan said, “My lord king, did you say, ‘Adoniyah is to be king after me; he will sit on my throne’?
25 For he has gone down today and killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Evyatar the cohen; right now they are eating and drinking in his presence and proclaiming, ‘Long live King Adoniyah!’
26 But he didn’t summon me your servant, or Tzadok the cohen, or B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada or your servant Shlomo.
27Is this authorized by my lord the king without your having told your servant who would sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 King David answered by saying, “Summon Bat-Sheva to me.” She entered the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 Then the king swore an oath: “As ADONAI lives, who has delivered me from all adversity,
30 as I swore to you by ADONAI the God of Isra’el, ‘Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do today.”
31Bat-Sheva bowed with her face to the ground, prostrating herself to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever.”
FYI (synagogue members worship outside crime scene within their edifice : https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/02/us/pittsburgh-shooting-first-shabbat/index.html
My [redacted] complaint, shared with NPR OMBUSDMAN, November 3:
I’m writing about what I shall term the injudicious removal of a national invitation to attend Shabbat services which appeared on Nov 1, and was removed Nov 2. Here’s a link to the article : https://www.npr.org/2018/11/01/663123118/jewish-schools-and-centers-add-more-security-following-pittsburgh-shooting
[ . . . ] I am frankly shocked that this article vanished from your story queue shortly after it was broadcast Friday afternoon. I feel strongly that it should have been allowed to remain readily visible until the beginning of worship services Saturday morning. Considering the severity of the violence perpetrated on those worshippers, and our First Amendment, removing this article prematurely smacks of political intervention. What were your managers thinking?
Jewish nurse treated shooter [excerpt] :
Mahler did not directly address such questions, writing in his post of the “compassion” and “empathy” he tried to show the gunman.
“To be honest,” he wrote, “I didn’t see evil when I looked into Robert Bowers’ eyes. All I saw was a clear lack of depth, intelligence, and palpable amounts of confusion.”
He added, however, that he thought Bowers “probably had no friends, was easily influenced by propaganda, and wanted attention on a sociopathic level. He’s the kind of person that is easily manipulated by people with a microphone, a platform, and use fear for motivation.”
Pittsburgh shooter was fringe figure in online world of white supremacist rage
Read more
Mahler said he would not go into great detail, because of privacy rules. But he wrote that the gunman “thanked me for saving him, for showing him kindness, and for treating him the same way I treat every other patient.
“This was the same Robert Bowers that just committed mass homicide. The Robert Bowers who instilled panic in my heart worrying my parents were two of his 11 victims less than an hour before his arrival.
“I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. Why thank a Jewish nurse, when 15 minutes beforehand, you’d shoot me in the head with no remorse?
“I didn’t say a word to him about my religion. I chose not to say anything to him the entire time. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt that the best way to honour his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Besides, if he finds out I’m Jewish, does it really matter? The better question is, what does it mean to you?”
In conclusion, Mahler wrote: “If my actions mean anything, love means everything.”
SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/04/pittsburgh-shooting-robert-bowers-jewish-nurse