Dear Presbytery of Detroit,

Thursday afternoon, we learned about the act of violence at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. It is a painful reminder of the rise in violence happening in our nation against religious communities. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a long history of supporting interfaith relationships and denouncing hateful rhetoric and actions directed against Jewish people and synagogues.  

As Christians, we often take for granted our safety when we enter a place of worship. Our neighbors and friends in the interfaith community do not have that same luxury. A few months ago, when I met with interfaith leaders at a local mosque, Jewish and Muslim leaders talked about the burden of cost they undertake to increase safety measures and hire security staff. They shared what it is like for their office staff and volunteers to listen to voice mails and sort through mail that is full of hate messages. 

Hate sanctioned by policies and political and religious rhetoric, spread across social media.

Hate treated casually and joked about by friends and family.  

Hate carried out by people with words and weapons. 

As the Presbytery of Detroit, we stand with our Jewish neighbors in this time of grief and fear. We stand in unity with the community at Temple Israel as they care for one another and their children during this time. We are praying with and for them. We condemn the violence and contempt that hate generates and commit ourselves to the work of living our faith commitment to love our neighbors. We love because God first loved us. Scripture shares that the greatest gift is the gift of love, and they will know we are Christians by our love. Thus, by design, our work is guided by an ethic of love, a love understood not as mere sentimentalism but as a decision to pursue and promote God's justice. We remain steadfast in prayer for the community at Temple Israel and the Jewish community of metro Detroit.