Sitting With the Sadness

I’ve been struggling to find the words after this past weekend’s news. It feels like one heartbreak piled on top of another, until the weight of it all becomes hard to carry.

Over the weekend, a terror mass shooting, believed to be an antisemitic attack, took place during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Holocaust survivors, faith leaders, and everyday heroes who tried to stop the violence were among the fifteen people killed. Dozens more were wounded, and as of today many remain hospitalized, including two police officers. The victims have not yet been formally identified, but police believe they range in age from just ten years old to eighty-seven. Children. Elders. Families. A community gathered in faith and celebration, forever changed.

Here at home, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island was shaken by another act of violence. At least two people were killed and nine others wounded. The alleged gunman remains at large, and the motive is still unknown. Once again, a place of learning and promise became a place of fear and loss.

And then there was the deeply personal tragedy of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer, who were stabbed to death in their own home. The fact that their son has been arrested in connection with their deaths adds another layer of sorrow that is almost impossible to comprehend.

All of this was already more than enough to absorb and then, as if cruelty needed an encore, forty-seven chose to post a vile and unnecessary message on Truth Social about Rob Reiner. While it was heartening to see condemnation come from both Republican and Democratic leaders, the damage of such words lingers. Grief does not need commentary. It needs care.

I don’t have answers, and I don’t have anything wise to wrap this up neatly. What I do have is sorrow for the lives lost, for the families and communities now navigating unimaginable pain, and for a world that feels far too comfortable with violence and cruelty.