Some Thoughts, 20 Years On: Remembering July 28, 2006
Our community—like most in America—was already on a vigilant edge in the aftermath of 9/11, the Second Intifada, and some high-profile attacks on Jewish institutions. But we in the Pacific Northwest felt a bit more of a sense of insulated complacency. We weren’t New York, LA, or even San Francisco—larger Jewish communities that would be far more likely targets of domestic terrorism. It felt like our little corner of the continent would escape the kind of attention and focus that might warrant more dramatic security measures.
But we were all too soon to learn that the most urgent threats come more often from lone-wolf sufferers of mental health crises than from grand conspiracies of terror cells. I was in a state of shocked disbelief in the hours before Shabbat when the calls came in. My first impulse was to reach out to see what I could offer in pastoral and practical support. And I remember sitting with the families and friends of victims at Harborview, hoping that the depth of our fears would be allayed by the miraculous efforts of the medical staff.
We lamented the senseless death of Pam Waechter (z”l), prayed for the healing of the wounded and worried, and realized that—in some subtle yet substantive ways—a kind of innocence was lost for a Jewish community that often felt like a big shtetl amidst a progressive and accepting Puget Sound region. Among the lessons learned and actions taken, I am most proud of the work of Cheryl Stumbo (z”l), who became the face of advocacy for gun responsibility, transforming victimhood into inspiring change.
In many ways, we continue to live in the troubling shadow of that day, carrying an even greater sense of vulnerability and isolation. The shooting at the Seattle Center this week is a stark reminder that we still have much to do in creating a society free of gun violence. Yet the ways in which the Jewish community came together to mourn, rebuild, and remember reflect the depth of character and breadth of compassion for which we can all be grateful.