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Building Bridges
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Letter from the Jewish Federation of Buffalo to Orleans County District Attorney |
On Sep 2, 2010, at 4:01 PM, NRC Website Member wrote:
This e-mail message is from the Network of Religious Communities (NRC) and was sent to:
All Network Members
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Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo
787 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14209 716 886-7750
September 2, 2010
Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone
13925 State Route 31, Suite 300
Albion, NY 14411
Dear District Attorney Cardone,
We are writing to you about the recent incidents of violence towards the
Muslim Community and the World Sufi Foundation Mosque in Orleans County.
Tensions continue to rise and tempers boil over the proposed creation of
an Islamic Cultural Center near the former site of the World Trade Center
in New York City. However, we were appalled to hear about the shotgun
blast outside the mosque in Carlton, NY, and the subsequent harassment of
members of the Muslim community.
We are dismayed to see the recent incidents of stereotyping and
scapegoating directed at Muslim Americans for no reason other than their
religious identity, and we deplore such incidents and the attitudes that
give rise to them. Regardless of the roots of the incidents, violence and
hatred are never excusable.
There is no room in American society for bigotry and violence. This
demonization and bullying in Orleans County tear at the heart of our
pluralistic society. Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of American
democracy. If after a complete investigation, there is a basis for
prosecuting this matter as a hate crime, it should be prosecuted as such.
As members of a group who has been victimized because of our religion, we
feel strongly that you must send a message of zero tolerance that says
that Orleans County and New York State and all of America are home to
law-abiding citizens regardless of their religion, race, or national
origin.
Sincerely,
Daniel G. Kantor
Executive Director
Ellen S. Goldstein
Marketing & Community Relations Director
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| Islam for Jews
from JPS | from Amazon | in Arabic
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The Empty Chair / The Still Empty Chair - honoring the memories of Cantor Susan Wehle and the others who died in Flight 3407
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"The place you are called to is where
your deep gladness meets the world's great hunger." - Frederick Buechner
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can... Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can..." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"In a controversy, the instant we feel anger,
we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves." - Abraham Joshua Heschel
"An enemy is one whose story we have not heard." - Gene Knudsen-Hoffman
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." - Albert Einstein
"A group of monks once asked their Zen master how it was that he was always able to feel compassion for other people.
His response: What 'other' people?" -
Buddhist koan
NEW "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi
 - cropped.jpg)
by Kalysha Rourke - 3rd Grader, Charles E. Riley Elementary, Oswego, NY 13126
(with permission from her mother Nicole)
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