We were not put here to hate, but to love and make world a better place

The Beth Israel Sisterhood would like to express our sincere and heartfelt sympathy to our fellow Jewish community at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh last weekend. They are the victims of the worst act of anti-Semitic violence in the history of American Jewry.

The cowardly act of violence against a religious assembly is as unthinkable today as it was at a church in Charleston, S.C., a few years ago.

When will the hatred end in our society? We were not put here to hate. We were put here to love and work and make the world a better place.

We appreciate the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, who patroled our parking lot during the High Holidays and continues to do so throughout the year. It is nonetheless distressing to feel so vulnerable expressing our religious beliefs, even though that right is among the foremost in our Constitution.

There is hope, though. As our synagogue here was opened up for Hebrew school on Sunday, we found a bouquet of flowers that was left by an anonymous kind soul. The Beth Israel Sisterhood will continue to try to make our community safe and secure in a loving and supportive environment. Let us all do our part to improve the lives of those in our own Jewish community and the lives of our Southern Maryland neighbors.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our fellow Jews who lost a loved one in this terrible, tragic act. We pray for a speedy recovery for those wounded, and we thank the brave men and women in law enforcement who selflessly protect us every day.

Emily Currier,

Lexington Park The writer is vice president of Beth Israel Synagogue in Lexington Park.