Last week, many of us learned of the Tree of Life congregation killings as we emerged from Shabbat.

Some of us, as the Havdalah candle wick is still smoldering, turn on our smartphones or any other preferred screens, fearing we are missing something.

This time, however, we could not believe the tragic enormity of what we were reading.

Eleven Jews massacred at Shabbat services in Pittsburgh by a deranged suspect.

It is not too distant in our collective memories that we would turn on our electronic devices after Shabbat to make sure that Israel had weathered the weekend without a terrorist attack.

Now the terrorism was not coming from the Middle East, Mumbai or Europe. It was as close as our time zone.

And that domestic terrorism happened against members of the Jewish community in the sanctuary of a synagogue.

It is perhaps reactive to place this heinous event as part of a bigger national danger.

We would like to urge civility during these dark times. It is not productive to point political fingers, which would only exacerbate the nation’s pain. Instead, this is the time when people need to put their differences aside. This is not a blue issue or a red issue. We need to help the families of the 11 victims find healing through hope and support. Moreover, that has to come from across this nation.

If synagogues and other Jewish agencies need to look at real solutions through security enhancements, then let us leave that up to each kehillah to rightly decide what is best.

Please, the United States is not Paris, London or Belgium. This is a nation where Jews are prospering and protected under the freedoms of our great Constitution, where one can feel free to practice their Judaism.

The memories of the Pittsburgh deceased will be honored and remembered by a nation that stays unified, not by one where differences are magnified.