As a Second Generation Jewish Holocaust survivor of murdered grandparents and an uncle who lives not far from Oak Creek, the impact of a fellow minority religious group being shot at and killed merely for being who they are ethnically and religiously is devastating to me and feels like it can happen again. I am so sad that this has taken place and extend my condolences. Here is an invocation I gave in my role as Jewish Chaplain at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital:

Invocation

Rabbi Leonard Lewy 8/8/12 

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

I am Rabbi Len Lewy, the Jewish Chaplain here at Lutheran General. I would like to read you a very comforting verse from Jewish Scripture read in synagogues worldwide this past Sabbath, following an annual period of mourning, when sad events in Jewish history occurred:

ISAIAH 40: 1-5

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people,

Sayeth your God.
²Bid Jerusalem take heart,
And proclaim unto her,
That her time of service is accomplished,
That her guilt is paid off;
That she hath received of the Lord's hand

Double for all her sins.
³Hark! one calleth,
'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord,
Make plain in the desert
A highway for our God.

⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;

And the rugged shall be made level,
And the rough places a plain.

⁵And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'

Jews remember the destruction of both Temples with great loss of life and other tragedies in their history as having occurred on a summer date which fell this year just last week. Speculation continues as to why those horrific events occurred. One explanation given is that people were behaving cruelly to one another. A lesson of the Temple’s destruction is that we are to be kinder, more understanding. If we are divided, we falter. Comfort ye, comfort ye My people…And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Two weeks ago there was a tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Seventy people were shot, twelve died, and countless others traumatized. Sunday morning in Oak Creek, WI, south of Milwaukee a killer coldly took the lives of six people and wounded three others at a Sikh Temple. The shootings reopened wounds in a religious group whose members have found themselves frequent targets of hate-based attacks since Sept. 11. "We are experiencing it as a hate crime," a member of that community said, "Every Sikh American today is hurting, grieving and afraid." After Aurora, CO and Oak Creek, WI, I suggest that the body of America is hurting, grieving and afraid!

We join with Rev Betsy Miller, President Provincial Elders' Conference at Moravian Church Northern Province: "We pray for the victims of violence … We pray for peace and calm in the midst of heated tensions, for the family members of those who were killed… Lord, in your mercy, bring healing to the religions of your world. We pray for a spirit of respect, that we may honor all people as beloved children of the living God."

I add my words to hers: May we see the beauty of diversity that surrounds us here at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Carry it into lives at home and our community, as a vision of the gift of diversity that all are created in God’s image. Combat hatred, by valuing God’s image in all of us, beginning here at Lutheran General, learning more about those different than ourselves whose very otherness has the ability to enrich our lives.

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people…And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

My heart is broken for you, dear friends and lovers of the God of peace. You will remain in my prayers and the prayers of our church. Pastor Nansi Hawkins, Emmanuel United Church of Christ, Dousman, WI

The leadership of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has encouraged the prayers of its congregations for the Sikh community, for all those affected by the event, and those involved in healing. The Rev. Deborah Block, pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee’s oldest congregation, offered the following at services on Sunday, Aug. 12:

One week ago as congregations gathered for morning worship, a congregation in our community was shattered by brutal violence and death. Our prayers throughout this week have been for the Sikh community, and especially for members of the temple in Oak Creek.

"We pray today for our neighbors in the Sikh community, traumatized by violence in their gurdwara, their place of worship. We pray for those who have experienced the sudden and brutal death of loved ones and who grieve both the loss of life and security, those who witnessed the shootings in shock and fear, those who assisted with courage and compassion. We pray that our community's response be lasting and genuine in its resolve to deepen our interfaith engagements and to activate a resistance to gun violence. We pray for those who hate, whose hatred of others and themselves leads to deranged acts and the destruction of life. O God, hear our lament. We name our sense of powerlessness in the face of madness, and pray for our own vigilance in the signs of spiritual and mental illness and anti-social behaviors and associations; we pray for our own willingness to counter hate crimes with behaviors and policies that embody peace."

The hearts of the world are heavy in light of the violence suffered at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek.

Yet in midst of this horrible time for the entire community basic tenets of your belief have been evident.

You are a people deeply committed to peace and equality. The expressions I hear from members of your community in the media all point to these core beliefs. You are, indeed, making a strong statement to the world even in this difficult time.

The American Baptists of Wisconsin join with those who express their condolences and pray for your strength as you move forward. We, too, seek to be people of peace and equality even as so many in our society work for violence and favoritism.

We are active members of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Council of Churches both of whom have made strong statements in words and actions in these recent days.

You are an important part of the tapestry of the United States and your presence and witness are important to us.

Sincerely,

Arlo R. Reichter
Executive Minister
American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin

Dear colleagues and partners in ministry:

I greet you with a heavy heart and a mix of many deep emotions, but I also greet you in the faith of the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian Christians: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The tragedy of the violence and murder in the middle of a group of peaceful people who were gathered for worship and prayer is something that numbs the senses and challenges the powers of reason to even begin to understand. We are deeply concerned and offer our prayers when there are these kind of tragedies in Colorado or other settings, but to have this kind of violence right in our midst, near several of our own UCC congregations, brings the reality home so painfully and powerfully.

I will not even begin to try to offer any commentary on what has happened. It would be disrespectful to the families who have lost loved ones and to those who have been wounded and are fighting for their lives or dealing with pain and the trauma of the experience. I do appreciate the response of the police and other rescue and personnel, and I am grateful to all in this work who daily deal with risks to their safety and lives that most of us will never know. We owe a great deal to those who commit themselves to these challenging professions.

I know nothing about the person who committed these acts. No doubt, much will be researched and written, but even then, we seldom are able to plumb the depths of the human mind and spirit that would commit this kind of violence. I do know from news reports that the Sikh community (about 700,000 persons nationwide) has increasingly been the target of harassment and attacks, because somehow people perceive them as connected to terrorism and the ”9/11″ attacks. Here is one place that all of us can take personal responsibility, both as individuals and as leaders of our own religious communities, to do all we can to learn about other religions and cultural groups, to respect diversity and differences and to understand a bit of the history of people whose practices and traditions are different from our own.

In the spirit with which the Apostle Paul greeted the early Christians, we can engage in one of our most important Christian vocations, prayer. We can pray for each family that lost a loved one and ask for that “comfort” that is promised to us in the love of God and shown to us in Christ, a love that is for ALL people and offered with extravagant generosity to all.

We can pray for healing for those hospitalized or injured and healing of the spirit for all who were present or connected to this religious community, that they may find ways to restore peace in their minds and hearts. We can pray that they will find the well of hope and trust and, yes, even and eventually, forgiveness and thus be set free from the ways in which these horrific experiences can contract the spirit and life.

Our prayers can be for the communities impacted and for the fear and anxiety that is now heightened in those responders as they go to their next call. May our prayers be sent to God that God may offer them strength in their work and confidence that those whom they serve respect their gifts to us and offer hope for their safety.

We may pray for our nation and all its communities and all citizens that we may move beyond our current moment that is so divided and so susceptible to fear of differences and hatred and disregard of human life, and pray that God may again gift us with the spirit to build genuine community and to seek a body politic that can live in diversity and seek genuine solutions to our problems.

Yesterday I was in a worship service that sang the New Century Hymnal variation on the Katharine Lee Bates hymn, “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies.” The new words are by Miriam Therese Winter, and the third verse, being sung as this tragedy was unfolding and without our knowledge as we worshipped, are ones for us to sing as our prayer:

How beautiful, sincere lament, the wisdom born of tears
The courage called for to repent the bloodshed through the years
America! America! God grant that we may be
A nation blessed with none oppressed, true land of liberty.

I would call to your attention a couple statements of religious groups to which we belong and which we as a UCC in Wisconsin support. I have included a link to the statement from the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. The Wisconsin Council of Churches sent the following link for information on the Sikh religion. (www.sikhs.org) The WCC has also promised further information on possible prayer gatherings to be organized around the state.

Thank you for your ministries of comfort and prayer in these times.

Your colleague,

David Moyer
Conference Minister
Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ

It is with great sadness that I join our United Methodists throughout Wisconsin, as well as people throughout the world in mourning the loss of those individuals who died and were injured in the recent shootings at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. As United Methodists, we accept and respect all faiths, and do not condone any type of hate crime, which this appears to be. According to the United Methodist Church Book of Resolutions, the Church continues to renew its “stand and commitment against hate crimes in any form and in any place.” Our Social Principles also direct us as United Methodists to embrace all hues of humanity, delight in diversity and difference, and favor solidarity transforming strangers into friends.

We believe that God is love, and in God, we are One. We pray for the families, friends, congregations and communities that were directly impacted by this tragedy. And, we join with the Wisconsin Council of Churches (WCC) in a Day of Prayer for the Sikh Community in Christian congregations throughout the state next Sunday, August 12. The WCC and our Wisconsin Conference UMC hope that next Sunday will provide an opportunity for Christians to pray for the victims, their families, and for the Sikh community, which has experienced much tragedy and hardship in this country since the September 11th attacks (Sikhs are at times mistaken for Muslims). We also hope next Sunday will be an occasion for Christians in Wisconsin to learn more about the Sikh religion (http://www.sikhs.org/summary.htm). There are approximately 3,000 Sikhs in the greater Milwaukee area and over 700,000 nationwide.

Again, our hearts are filled with sorrow at more senseless loss of life and our souls yearn for the day when all of humanity will recognize our unity in God. Unity does not mean uniformity, but respect, regard and receptivity to the unique gifts and blessings of every culture and race. May we be those who create the places and spaces that make this possible.

Rev 7:9-11
“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God…”

In prayer,
Bishop Linda Lee
Wisconsin Conference UMC

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Once again our world is shattered by the news of a mass shooting. My thoughts and prayers are with the Sikh community in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, as members of the temple and wider area grieve the violence that disrupted a calm Sunday morning gathering yesterday.

The Sikh religion, with roots in India, is a deeply devout, peace-loving community whose faith directs them to embrace life as sacred and to care for all people.

It is impossible to understand or explain the violence that erupted Sunday. The pain and fear that now grips all Sikhs in the United States must be countered with our prayers, our embrace, and our support.

It is clear that we as the United Methodist Church must continue to build bridges of respect and to build community with our brothers and sisters through our interfaith efforts. When we can appreciate and understand each other's traditions and grounding, we counter the fear that leads to suspicion and misunderstanding.

There are many causes of violence in our world; building interfaith relationships does not address all the root issues of mental illness, the availability of weapons, and the rage that leads to destruction, yet as we embrace one another, we model God's great Kingdom and demystify that which we do not comprehend.

I stand as a humble child of God, saddened for the actions of another human being, reminded that an outstretched hand to those who hurt, those who fear, and those who mourn is a witness desperately needed in our world.

Abiding in the hope of Christ Jesus,
your servant,
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung

WCC Calls for Statewide Day of Prayer for the Sikh Community August 12

In the wake of the tragic shootings at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, the Wisconsin Council of Churches is calling for Day of Prayer for the Sikh Community in Christian congregations throughout the state next Sunday, August 12.

Our hope is that next Sunday will provide an opportunity for Christians to pray for the victims, their families, and for the Sikh community, which has experienced much tragedy and hardship in this country since the Sept. 11 attacks (Sikhs are at times mistaken for Muslims). We also hope next Sunday will be an occasion for Christians in Wisconsin to learn more about the Sikh religion (www.sikhs.org). There are approximately 3,000 Sikhs in the greater Milwaukee area and over 700,000 nationwide. We know there are Sikh Temples in Oak Creek, Brookfield, Madison and Menasha, and there are no doubt smaller communities elsewhere in the state.

In the coming days and weeks there will be opportunities for Christians to stand in solidarity with the Sikh community. Two vigils were held last night, in Madison and Milwaukee, and more are planned. The WCC will assist in getting the word out as local events and other occasions for support are announced.

We join with Rev Betsy Miller, President Provincial Elders' Conference at Moravian Church Northern Province, who issued the following statement Sunday evening:

On behalf of the wider Moravian Church, we pray for the victims of violence against worshippers at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We pray for peace and calm in the midst of heated tensions, for the family members of those who were killed, including the perpetrator. Lord, in your mercy, bring healing to the religions of your world. We pray for a spirit of respect, that we may honor all people as beloved children of the living God.

Rev. Scott Anderson
Executive Director
Wisconsin Council of Churches

We at Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church stand in solidarity with the Sikh community and share your pain.  We deeply hope this never happens again, and that you quickly heal, without ever forgetting those who suffered or died in vain.

We are so sorry for the tragedy you've endured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sikh community.

God bless all of you. Please know that a majority of Americans stand with you, respect you and mourn your loss. I pray that time brings you comfort and healing.

We of the Milwaukee Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) feel shock and grief at the recent tragic shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in nearby Oak Creek.

As Friends, we believe that there is “that of God” in every human being. Although previously many of us did not know much about the Sikh religion, we are learning that Sikhs hold similar reverence for all humans, regardless of their faith.

To us, it feels especially appalling that such a peaceful, loving community could be attacked in its house of worship. We urge everyone in the Milwaukee area to increase efforts to build tolerance and acceptance of all differences, whether of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, age, ability, gender, or national origin.

Friends (Quakers) are one of the traditional peace churches, whose members are conscientious objectors to war and violence. We are once more alerted to the dangers of guns in our society. We will actively seek creative solutions to the challenge of gun violence and of inadequate mental health care, and we will call upon our leaders to work toward such solutions.

Our hearts go out to all the members of the Sikh community, in Oak Creek, in Brookfield, and around the world, and to all religious groups targeted by prejudice, bigotry, and violence. We extend our sympathy to them, to the injured police officer, and to everyone in the Milwaukee area touched by this sad event.

Friends often use the symbol of “The Light Within” to represent the Divine. During this difficult time, we will be holding our whole community in the Light.

My family and I are deeply saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that your families and the Sikh community suffered while worshiping in your temple.  You are not alone in your sorrows; many others are sharing your grief and loss.  we are all created by God which gives us common ground to stand on together. May God continue to grant you his comfort and mercy.

Edna Fenceroy

Partners in Peace2

Director

Our prayers go out to the congregation at the temple and to the entire Sikh community. It is in times like these that we turn to God who is the consolation and hope for all of us.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki
Archdiocese of Milwaukee

I extend my condolences and most sincere sympathy to the members of the Sikh community after the tradegy in your temple.  I am moved by the eloquent witnesses expressed by your temple members.  They truly are living their faith in the most difficult of times. 

Ruth Haase, Moderator of the Delavan United Church of Christ-Congregational

Please know that there are decent, caring souls who hurt for what your community has gone through.  There is not now, nor will ever be an excuse for ignorance and violence.

My prayers are with you.

In Peace,

Terri Zimmermann

I must say that I very saddned by the Blind Hatetred that goes on in our country and this one so very close to home.

To all the family's that have lost love one's during this Hate Crime. You have mine and my family's  deepest of sympathy and are in our family prayers every night. 

Things like this should absolutely never be excepted in any form at all.

The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee and its many participating faiths stand unified in support of the area’s Sikh community. We offer condolences and support in the aftermath of the tragic shooting on Sunday at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek. We grieve for the dead. We pray for the wounded.

No one yet knows what was in the heart of the shooter and why he chose to commit this heinous act. As more becomes known, we will work together as people of faith to help bring us all to a better future.

Since its founding in 1970, the Conference has consistently denounced any form of ethnic, racial or religious violence while striving to uphold the dignity of every person.

Member denominations and faiths include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian Universalist and Quaker. Through the Milwaukee Association for Interfaith Relations, a program of the Conference, we also work closely with Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists and Baha’is.

The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Coalition of Asian Indian Organizations (WCAIO) strongly condemn this shockingly evil act of violence perpetrated against innocent priests and worshipers at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek. Wisconsin. Together, we share in the great sorrow and irreparable loss suffered by the families of the victims of this senseless carnage. We praise the quick response by the officers and express our deep gratitude to the brave officer who risked his life and suffered multiple wounds trying to protect the innocent citizens. We offer our humble prayers for peace for the departed souls and for the healing and recovery of the survivors of this heinous act of violence. We pray too for peace and goodwill to prevail among the members of our diverse faith communities in our state and in our great nation.

Lakshmi K Bharadwaj
Director of Education, Interfaith Relations, and Community Outreach
The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Jewish community stands in solidarity with Sikh community and we offer assistance to the community, especially to the families of the victims. While we don't know many details at this point, this may well be an intentional attack on the Sikhs which would make the massacre even more heinous. Our society is based on freedoms of religion and due process of law. We hope that law enforcement will find and hold accountable all parties involved in this senseless and shocking tragedy.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation speaks as the representative of the Jewish community on issues of public affairs and public policy by convening and mobilizing the Jewish community through education, advocacy, social justice and support for Israel. JCRC chair is Joyce Altman. Jerry Benjamin is board chair of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

Elana Kahn-Oren, Director of Community Relations, Milwaukee Jewish Federation

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee condemns the cowardly and senseless attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and expresses its condolences to the families of the victims. We also pray for those who were injured, including law enforcement personnel from Oak Creek whose courageous actions prevented a much larger tragedy from taking place.

We stand in complete solidarity with our Sikh brothers and sisters during this tragic time and we offer any help we can, including opening the Islamic Community Center to the Sikh community while their Temple is closed during the investigations being conducted by law enforcement agencies.

We call on law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to quickly investigate the background of the attacker and to try and determine why he committed such a heinous crime. In recent years, the inflammatory and divisive rhetoric that we hear on a daily basis from certain media personalities and elected officials has led to an upsurge in hate crimes and violent acts. We will await the investigation of law enforcement officials to determine if today’s attack fits into this same pattern.

Ahmed Quereshi, President, ISM
Othman M. Atta, Executive Director, ISM

The members and friends of Unitarian Universalist Church West extend to our Sikh neighbors our prayers and our most sincere sympathies for the terrible shock and losses your communities have suffered. We are outraged that such acts of violence have been directed at our brothers and sisters whose religious faith is so peaceful and full of acceptance for all people. We continue to work for peace and understanding between people of all faiths in our community and across our world. This is our promise to you.

Please know our hearts are with you, with sympathy and compassion, and that we are here to support you in any possible way we can.

Cards with a similar statement will be signed by church members on Sunday, and a special offering for the families of the victims will be taken.

Thank you,

The Rev. Suzelle Lynch, Minister -- Unitarian Universalist Church
West http://uucw.org
13001 W North Ave.
Brookfield, WI 53005

With deep sincerity, respect and love, we extend our heartfelt condolences and our prayers for peace and healing. We send our love and respect from Congregation Shalom, a Jewish synagogue in Milwaukee and we would like to dedicate a portion of our Sabbath service this Friday evening to remembering your dear community and offer homage to the caring, and dignified faith and love for humanity which your religion and people espouse. We pray that The God of all humanity bless you with healing and bestow upon the human family the insight and wisdom to find our way to peace and mutual caring.
Shalom,
Rabbi Ronald Shapiro, Congregation Shalom, Fox Point, WI  

We pray with and for our brothers and sisters in the Sikh community.  We will offer a special remembrance for those killed and those injured this Sunday.  We especially remember our unity as people of faith seeking truth.

Today, as you grieve and honor your dear ones in a special way, I join with you in spirit, sympathy, and solidarity.  With the love of God and support of so many within our Milwaukee community, know you are our treasured friends.  Sincerely, Ruth Morrison, West Allis,WI, member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Parish.                                  

On behalf of my two United Church of Christ congregations, sympathies and prayers are extended to you in this tragic time. May the memories of your loved ones and their faith sustain you through the difficulties ahead.

The many members of your temple family that have been interviewed on television have been remarkable.  Our hearts go out to you, and they have also been buoyed up by your response to this tragedy.  You give us all great strength and renew our faith.  The amazing child heros are such a reflection of the character and strength you have responded with.  Thank you for being the community you are and for being part of our greater community.  Know that we pray for your tremendous loss and want to be at your side during this time and as we all move forward in a loving spirit.  

Louise Hermsen and family

United Church of Christ Hartland member

As an Oak Creek neighbor of the Temple (just two blocks away), I need to express my deepest sympathy to you.  When I was locked in my home fearing for more shooters I wept for you and for all of the people who were injured and dying.  As the helicopters circled over my home Sunday night I sat in my backyard and prayed for every person affected by this tragedy.  After watching the amazing Sikh representatives on the news my husband responded "It makes you want to be Sikh".  You are truly a people of peace who can teach all of us so much!  You continue to do that even in the midst of this tragedy.  I plan to visit the temple when it reopens to pay my respects and to learn more.  You are in my prayers each day.  May God comfort you and bring you the peace you so deserve.

Michelle Zakula and family

On behalf of Milwaukee's Jewish community, I extend deep condolences on the losses in your community this week. We stand with you in pain and in strong defiance against intolerance, bigotry and violence. We are deeply committed to working with you to heal and to build durable and nurturing ties for the future. We know that your loss is our loss, that your insecurity is ours, that our plights are intertwined.

Elana Kahn-Oren
Director of Community Relations and Israel & Overseas Engagement
Milwaukee Jewish Federation

Our hearts grieve with yours on the sudden and senseless loss of your friends and family members. May you feel the support of the entire community and may you be given peace that surpasses all understanding. We will hold you in prayer daily for comfort and healing. God be with you,

Danette & Paul Braun

The people of Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg sent a letter this week to our brothers and sisters at the Sikh Society temple in Middleton. We extend the sentiments to Sikhs all across our state. Here is a link to the letter:

http://www.memorialucc.org/community-outreach/467-aftershooting

Our thoughts and our prayers are with you.

Phil Haslanger
Pastor, Memorial United Church of Christ

I can't imagine the deep grief and sorrow being experienced by my neighbors in the Sikh community. From the depth of of my heart, my condolences go out to you. I hope this website can provide some small bit of comfort in these trying times.