Grateful for our city

The horrible tragedy of the synagogue murders in Pittsburgh brought a heartwarming reaction here in Little Rock. We were privileged to take part in a memorial ceremony at Temple B’Nai Israel on Oct. 29. An outpouring of love and support for the Jewish community of Little Rock by people of varied faiths and ethnic backgrounds was joined by the governor, a U.S. senator and other elected officials, and clergy to join us in prayer, but more importantly, to express brotherhood.

With few exceptions, Little Rock has always been a welcoming community to Jews. Many of our greatgrandfathers came here in the 19th century, and from the beginning were included on the school board, on bank boards, in the Chamber of Commerce, and other civic organizations. If there is latent anti-Semitism in Little Rock, it exists only in dark corners and seldom reaches the light of day. We had a branch of the National Conference of Christians and Jews in Little Rock for many years specifically dedicated to eradicating anti-Semitism, and its success drove it out of business. It morphed into the Just Communities of Arkansas, dedicated to a broader focus of discrimination based on race, national origin and sexual orientation.

The large turnout Oct. 29 was no surprise but a reaffirmation of how lucky we are to live in Little Rock. The recurring theme of the ceremony was and is that hate will never ever win. Love of our fellow man will endure. We simply want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your expression of support and caring for your fellow Americans.

We are also immensely grateful to the members of law enforcement who reject hate and hate crimes and put their lives on the line every day for our protection.

ART and GENE PFEIFER

Little Rock