Trayvon and Judaism

With Trayvon Martin gone, the question is not whether justice has been served or if George Zimmerman was really guilty.  The Jewish question before us is, “How do we prevent another such tragedy from occurring?”

 There is no justice to be served here.  A seventeen year-old boy is dead.  Trayvon Martin’s parents will be forever changed by the death of their son.  George Zimmerman will spend the rest of his life knowing he left his home one evening filled with the self-importance of a neighborhood watchman and returned home later that night a murderer.  Nothing we can do can change what has happened, we can only hope to change what will happen.

 At this time of year, we begin to look toward the High Holidays and we begin the process of preparation.  We engage in introspection and self-reflection as we search our souls thinking of our own shortcomings, asking for forgiveness and planning to make the coming year better if only we are so blessed with the precious gift of life.  Yet there are other questions we are compelled to ask.  We look at the world in which we live and ponder what we can do to make it a better place; to leave a place to our children that is better, safer and more secure than the one we inherited, moved ever slightly closer to repair through our actions.  What is our role to make society more civil and more just for everyone? That is our historic mission, the essence of being chosen to receive the extraordinary gift of Torah at Mount Sinai and the real hope for being written into the book of life.

Trayvon Martin

My prayers go out to the family of Trayvon Martin.  The pain of their loss is only compounded by the verdict in the George Zimmerman case.  The jury has found Zimmerman “Not Guilty.”  Although this is the verdict we are forced to accept, I wonder if the prosecution did the best it could to try the case or did it fail to meet the burden of proof the jury required.  But no matter what the outcome of the trial, the devastating and tragic loss of a young life remains a stark reality.

May Trayvon Martin’s memory be a blessing, may his family find some comfort in their sorrow, and may we act to prevent such senseless tragedies from occurring.