Modesto synagogue invites public to mourn people killed in Israel. ‘Our hearts are heavy’
Modesto’s synagogue invites the general public to mourn the people killed in the attack in Israel.
A service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at Congregation Beth Shalom, 1705 Sherwood Ave.
The site has had such interfaith gatherings before in response to violence, such as the 2018 shooting of 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
It returned the favor in 2019, when the Islamic Center of Modesto mourned 50 people slain at two New Zealand mosques.
CNN reported that at least 900 Israelis have died from Saturday’s attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and that nearly 700 have been killed in a Gaza counteroffensive.
“Our hearts are heavy as we continue to watch the news of the war in Israel,” said an email Monday from Eli Lester, board president for the Modesto synagogue.
“Now more than ever, we need to gather together as a Jewish community to mourn and to stand together in solidarity with the people of Israel in their time of greatest need. This is an attack not just on Israel as a Jewish state, it is an attack on Israel because it is a Jewish state, so it is an attack on Jews.”
The Modesto Bee could not reach a representative of the local mosque as of early Monday evening.
The Diocese of Stockton, which includes Stanislaus County, shared a Facebook message about the attack from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It noted that Israel is a sacred place to Christians and Muslims as well as Jews.
“The world is once again shocked and horrified by the outbreak of ferocious violence in the Holy Land,” said Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Ill., chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace.. “... I join with Pope Francis in his call for peace and his condemnation of this widespread outbreak of violence.”
