Shock at ‘sickening, devastating’ New Zealand mosque attack

NEW ZEALAND’S synagogues closed for the first time in the country’s history last Shabbat as Jewish leaders expressed horror at a shooting spree that left 50 Muslim worshippers dead.

Jewish congregations in Auckland and Wellington were among those cancelling evening and morning services in the wake of the attack in Christchurch, on the south island. Community centres and the Jewish day school Kadimah were also closed.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, a 28-yearold Australian with far-right extremist views, was arrested shortly after the shootings at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre last Friday. He was charged with committing murder on what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said was her country’s “darkest day”.

“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” she added.

Shortly after news of the shooting broke, the Auckland Hebrew Congregation told its members that police were “unable to guarantee us protection this evening as they mobilise to support Christchurch and well as protect mosques throughout New Zealand.”

Jeremy Lawrence, who was previously the congregation’s senior rabbi and has since returned to the UK, said New Zealand’s Muslim community is “cherished and respected”.

In a letter to Sir Jerry Mateparae, the New Zealand High Commissioner to the UK, that was signed by leaders of other faiths, he wrote: “In our circles, when mosques are attacked, even half a world away, Rabbis and other clergy join in solidarity and feel the pain of Imams and their faithful. And vice versa.” The letter was also signed by

NEW ZEALAND had suffered trauma in the past, but nothing on this level. We watched, listened and talked about an attack on innocent people, young and old, in a place they felt safe to pray, talk and laugh with their friends and family.

The nation’s outpouring of grief has been heart-warming to be a part of. Our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s rallying call was heard around the country as we said we are not what this lone gunman tried to say we are.

We condemned the actions of this murderer and do not believe in his ideology of racial superiority and dominance. We embrace new Kiwis, we want to get to know them and to share all the riches and wonders of Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud.

All communities tried to come to grips with the events of Friday. We saw the grief from young Maori men and women performing haka across the country in in a show of unity with the Muslim community. We saw Tongans sharing in prayer at mosques, and we saw candlelit vigils even in the most remote of rural areas.

The small Jewish community of approximately 8,000 in New Zealand stood with their Muslim brothers and sisters too. Senior rabbis from both Auckland and Wellington travelled to Christchurch to meet mosque leaders and families of the victims, bringing the thoughts and prayers of the Jewish community.

We saw the closure of synagogues during Shabbat for the first time in our nation’s history. This was not only due to the possibility that they too could be attacked, but in a show of unity and respect, in honour of the innocent worshippers murdered in their own place of prayer.

The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand also closed its doors for two days to give staff and volunteers muchneeded time to reflect and be with their loved ones.

For the Jewish people, a minority group that was persecuted to almost total annihilation in Europe during the Second World War, this is a most uncertain time. With such a horrific tragedy dealt to one religious group within New Zealand, the Jewish community rightfully feel that they need to protect themselves with increased security measures to enter synagogues or places such as the Holocaust Centre.

Amongst the uncertainty, there is a call for education: to discuss with our children the future of our nation and aspects of cultural awareness and diversity, and to ask what kind of a world they want to live in.

Yehuda Bauer once said “Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander”, and it rings so true for how we need to go on.

We must not be that bystander; we must be the upstander in society. When we see, hear or read wrongdoing we must speak up and call it out. History has shown us that when we do nothing, we allow hate to manifest and grow, so that before too long our world is changed for the worse.

In November 2018, as part of the Children’s Holocaust Memorial that is touring New Zealand, the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand launched a social media campaign with that word: #Upstander.

It encouraged people to tell their stories on Instagram, whether of being a victim of bullying or discrimination and how they stood up to it, or of being an upstander when seeing someone spreading hate or persecuting another person.

We become better people by being compassionate, caring and showing the love that our Creator has shown us.

Our nation needs time to grieve, time to come to grips with the actions of one hateful, ignorant person. We will rise together, coming back stronger and united.

New Zealand will show the world, as it has on so many other global issues, that the gunman’s values have no place in society. We are one people, rich in our diversity and strong in our beliefs.

Kia kaha

For Jewish people, this is a most uncertain time

Chris Harris is the chief executive of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand