As shell-shocked Americans witnessed the sobering site of a diminished Manhattan skyline this week, two words came to mind: “What next?” Talk of smoking out those responsible for attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had many Malibu residents wondering about war-and turning to religious leaders for direction.
“We are holding in pain, and fear and terror,” said Rabbi Judith HaLevy of the Malibu Jewish Community Center, “but faith is what sustains us and we need to be there for one another.”
At Our Lady of Malibu, Monsignor John Sheridan maintains that “people want to feel the presence of God and we need to respond to their loneliness and confusion.”
But in addition to words of comfort, these spiritual leaders recommend restraint, especially when it comes to striking back at terrorists like Osama bin Laden and countries like Afghanistan.
“Vengeance alone is not enough of a motive,” said HaLevy. “At the same time, there does need to be a response because we can’t allow this kind of evil to exist.”
What kind of response? “If I had the answer, I would be Colin Powell or George Bush or Ariel Sharon, but I am only the rabbi. I can only hope that the people in power will use their highest judgment.”
Sheridan, who lost a young relative in the World Trade Center attacks, echoed her view. Even from his clerical point of view, a response is warranted.
“If we could identify Osama bin Laden, where he is and surgically strike, you would be justified. But if it meant just bombing, we would be as bad as they are.”
When it comes to words of war, they also want to remind followers that pain and despair should not lead to rage, retaliation and vengeance.
“You are angry, you are searching for a gun, an immediate target,” said Sheridan. “We cannot do that.”
“Yes, we need a measured response,” HaLevy maintains. “But we don’t bomb Afghanistan into the Stone Age. My job is to remind people that these are human beings.”
Another concern is a backlash of intolerance, such as in the recent publicized statement by Rev. Jerry Falwell.
“I am deeply disturbed by Jerry Falwell,” said HaLevy, “who said it was all due to the ACLU, gays and lesbians. I don’t care if it’s Falwell or bin Laden. It’s the same kind of rigid thinking that says we are right and everyone else is wrong.” Falwell has since apologized for his comments.
Both Sheridan and HaLevy hope that good will emerge from this tragedy. In the words of Sheridan, “I believe in my heart that for the first time in the history of the human family, we have a chance to come together as a whole.”
“It is a time for people to come home, to be rooted,” said HaLevy. “It is clear that everyone is part of the same web.”
But as the clergy seeks to comfort, they find themselves in the position of searching for answers themselves. As Sheridan simply but eloquently admits, “I’d say sometimes it’s really hard to figure out what God’s plan is in all of this.”