“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere,” said the Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel. In the wake of the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, this idea has come alive across the country as people of all faiths have gathered at services and vigils.
In the hours after the shooting, thousands came together at an interfaith vigil in Pittsburgh. Interfaith services continued this week in cities across the country. Another notable show of support came from American Muslim groups who are raising tens of thousands of dollars for the victims of the attack, in a gesture of solidarity and support.
“We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action,” says an online campaign called “Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue,” organized by the Muslim-American non-profit organizations CelebrateMercy and MPower Change.
As of Wednesday morning, just three days after the attack that claimed 11 lives, the group had raised more than $210,000, far surpassing its original $25,000 goal.
Wasiullah Mohamed, the executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, attended a memorial service where he announced the funding campaign to grateful cheers from the gathered crowd.
The money will be used to defray funeral costs and support ongoing care for injured victims of the attack.
Among the outpourings of love, support and condolence in the wake of this terrible tragedy, the generosity of the Muslim community to comfort those whom organizers referred to as “our Jewish cousins” stands out as a signal that healing, cooperation and connection are at work even amidst the fear and violence of the attack.
It stands out, in other words, as a reminder that human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere—men and women of different faiths, ethnicities, geographies and other backgrounds. When we seek ways to help and support each other, we will always find meaningful, healing actions to soothe those who are in pain.
