By Gary Rotto
SAN DIEGO —The shootings in Connecticut hit me hard. Just the thought of a gunman coming into a school and shooting children was too much for me. I thought of the times when my daughter was younger and attended San Diego Jewish Academy that she would tell me of a Code Red, basically the drill that the school would undertake – a lockdown of the classrooms – if a gunman was on campus.
As president of Congregation Dor Hadash, I had a few thoughts: one was to contact the education director of our congregation and ask about our procedures in case, heaven forbid, we would ever be faced with a life threatening situation on a day that our religious school would be in session. Do we have an evacuation plan? Do we have a lockdown plan?
My natural reaction was also to draw my daughter close to me and give a kiss on the forehead or cheek. But she was still at school so I had to wait a few more hours. I typically bless my daughter at the Shabbat dinner table, invoking both the thought of being thankful for having a girl (and when we have guests with boys, their parents will add that prayer). And I say the three part Priestly Benediction over my daughter. But we had a Hanukkah celebration on Friday night. With so many families in attendance, I know that there would be many families who would want to participate in those blessings. I emailed Rabbi Yael Ridberg to ask about including all of the parents in the opportunity to say these blessings. “I already have a plan for that – and yes it will include the blessing, “ she responded, one step ahead of me as usual.
And the third thought came to me, not in my position with the congregation but as an ordinary American; as I listened to President Obama’s remarks; as he wiped away a few tears; and as I did as well. So I posted my thought on Facebook: “Maybe it’s time to register body armor sales?” I expected several of my conservative friends to have a strong negative reaction to my post.
In both Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado, the shooters appeared to obtain their weapons legally. But they seem to create a new trend: each wore body armor. There are two problems with body armor:
1. It makes it that much more difficult for the police to take down the shooter, to force the shooter to stop by injuring or killing him
2. Anyone trying to defend themselves with a lawful firearm is ineffective.
Why would anyone need head-to-toe body armor in the general public? Tracking body armor as a tip off to someone seemingly looking for a battle with police might be a start to saving the lives of children and other innocents in our country. This could be a way of finding a true red flag before a plan is actualized by a potential mass murderer.
And what about mental health services? While crime analysis shows that the vast majority of these mass murders are premediated, we instictively know that something is not quite right in the life of these perpetrators. We need to destigmatize the need for these services as well as create parity with physical health services. Mental health services can be expensive, but we much put need above cost to save lives and create almost instant accessibility.
My response is not a liberal one, but rather one rooted in Jewish tradition. From an early age, I remember being taught in religious school that the Talmud says, “He who saves one life… is as if he saves an entire universe. He who destroys a life… is as if he destroys an entire universe.” So what can, what must I do to save a life? That is one of the compelling forces in my life.
“Since 1982, there have been at least 61 mass murders (four or more victims) carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii” according to Mother Jones writers Mark Follman, Gavin Aronsen, and Deanna Pan in the article “A Guide to Mass Shootings in America”. What can we do to save a life to save many lives? “It is not thy duty to complete the work, but neither art thou free to desist from it” as attributed to Rabbi Tarphon in Pikey Avot.
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Rotto is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He may be contacted at gary.rotto@sdjewishworld.com