Rabbi Brian Besser stood in front of the crowd of 22 visitors Tuesday night to address the deaths of three abducted Israelis.
“We should never become inoculated to the senselessness of violence ever,” Besser said to the congregation.
Congregation Beth Shalom organized a memorial service Tuesday night to mark the deaths of Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped several weeks ago.
The June 12 disappearance of the men sparked a national search ended in the discovery of their bodies Monday, according to the Associated Press.
One of the teenagers was an American citizen.
“I think it is a wake up call to us all to really come together,” Besser said. “The violence in Israel has been going on for decades and in a sense we get inured to it, we get used to it, but then, something like this happens, and we realize that every time that somebody is killed it’s a tragedy.”
The Chabad Jewish Student Center collaborated with Congregation Beth Shalom and other Jewish groups in Bloomington to organize a public vigil for the kidnapped teens in the Indiana Memorial Union.
Sue Silberberg, executive director of Hillel, said it’s imperative people know about the violence that is happening worldwide.
“I think that it’s important for all to understand the depth of terrorism that exists in the world,” Silberberg said. “Anyone can be a victim of terrorism at anytime.”
John Putz, president of Chabad Jewish Student Center, said Judaism’s principles are in direct opposition with the persons that abducted the three.
“They sanctify death and we sanctify life. They sanctify cruelty and we sanctify mercy, compassion,” Putz said. “That’s been the secret of our strength of the Jewish people for a long time.”
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Hamas, a Palestinian political group, for the incident. A strong response by the Israeli government should be expected, Putz said.
“There has to be a response that holds Hamas accountable and sends a message that, in the civilized world, there’s no place for this behavior,” Putz said.
The memorial service began with a song from “Siddur Mishkan T’filah,” the Jewish book of prayer . Throughout the service, members of the congregation stood and read excerpts of Jewish poetry.
With the memorial service, Besser sought to create a time to express their grief, display solidarity with the families of the dead and express the commitment to peace of the Jewish faith, he said.
“We want to reaffirm that despite everything, all of the suffering that we’ve endured and that others have endured, that we affirm life and hope for the day, not just work for it, but we want to work for the day we’ll all live in peace, particularly the Israelis and the Palestinians,” Besser said.
