Rebuilding Rob

Yesterday, PTA got word that a childhood friend of hers was murdered in her Detroit home. I didn’t know the woman at all, and I don’t really know PTA that much more, but this death is hitting me much harder than I expected. This was lead story on the local news in Detroit last night.

It is possible that this was just a random circumstance; a case of “shit happens in the big city” American street violence. But given the fact of Woll’s involvement with Jewish youth and Muslim youth – and trying to bring them together in the community – there’s a good possibility that this was a hate crime. Evidently the FBI is on standby as local police are still investigating the case.

For PTA, this is just been another example of the issues in the Middle East affecting her personally. PTA is half Jewish on her mother’s side. She has relatives who live in Israel. She knows people who were murdered by Hamas.

Earlier, this past week, there was a story in Chicago about a six-year-old child who was killed, and his mother was stabbed – by their landlord – because they are Muslim.

I don’t get it, and I don’t pretend to understand it. I know that humans have been murdering each other over their personal beliefs since the beginning of time; the war in the Middle East has these kind of hate crimes escalating.

I’m not writing this post today to say either “free Palestine“ or “justice for Israel“. I think the whole affair is stupid. I just don’t understand why each side can’t have their own separate state.

At times like this, when the bad news just seems to be overwhelming, I think back this Fred Rogers quote…

I wanted to share some of the good news as well. I originally stumbled across the video below on TikTok. I’m sharing it here. this took place in Tokyo a little over a week ago. This is not a dub.These are (predominantly) Japanese people singing in Hebrew. You don’t think of Japan as having a Jewish population, but it does.

Also, in the news, Germany is sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza. At the same time, Germany is also proclaiming its full military support to Israel. Yes, you just read that correctly. Yes, that Germany is providing full military support for Israel.

I say that in jest. I know that the collective German ideology has done a complete 180 since the end of World War II. And I know that Germany is collectively terrified of something like the rise of Nazism ever happening again.

But my Holocaust reference just goes to further illustrate my point. People are generally good. The governments of our nation states do not necessarily speak for their constituencies.

My heart goes out to the Palestinians in Gaza, who are living under Hamas rule. I’m sure that they want to see Hamas dismantled just like the rest of the world does.

Peace is a noble and just cause; one the good guys of the world cannot allow the bad guys to deter them from. It is cause that must be pursued, no matter the personal cost.

We will learn in the days ahead if Samantha Woll was killed, like Martin Luther King and Gandhi, for her beliefs. In any event, all of their deaths were senseless.

I do know this: the good guys – the people who are actively pursuing peace – must really be onto something if their actions are enough to drive the bad guys to this level of violence.

I don’t know how to do much in moments like this, other than writing about it. Writing this post took me on a little bit of an emotional trip today; but it ultimately brought me some peace as well. I hope it did the same for you.

Keep fighting the good fight

Thank you again for stopping by! All of your views, likes, follows and comments have reignited my passion for writing again! be sure to follow me in social media as well.