In the wake of the horrific tragedy at the Christchurch mosque, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and our network of local Jewish day schools offer our deepest condolences to our Muslim brothers and sisters. Our hearts and prayers are with the families and victims of this heinous massacre. We add our voices to other communities of faith and hope that this outpouring of support aids in the healing process.

We extend to you our compassion and true empathy. Unfortunately, the worldwide Jewish community has been the victim of acts of hate and bias. As recently as this past October in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, peaceful worshippers were the victim of a similar act of senseless violence

Our two communities share much, including a love of and value for life. Our Jewish tradition teaches us “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” (Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5) The Koran teaches, “Whoever saves a life, it is as if he had saved humankind entirely.” (Koran, Sura 5:32)

We are all people of faith, sons and daughters of Abraham, and we must work together to fight this cycle of violence. An act of violence against one community of faith is an attack on all communities of faith.

We mourn with you and pray the memories of the victims may be for a blessing.