The RCA on the Sutherland Springs, TX

The Rabbinical Council of America, the leading organization of orthodox rabbis in North America, joins its fellow citizens in expressing its outrage over the massacre at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday which left 26 dead and many injured.

Rabbi Elazar Muskin, president of the RCA, said, “The shooting in Texas is the latest in a series of violent tragedies that have shocked our nation in recent weeks. We extend our condolences to the families and neighbors of the victims and pray that their faith and courage, and our heartfelt sympathy and prayers, will support them in the face of these devastating and overwhelming losses. The murder of every human being, each created in the divine image, is the ultimate tragedy. This tragedy is compounded by the violation and desecration of a house of worship.”

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, vice president of the RCA, stated, “It is incumbent on us as a society to understand and address seriously the factors that contribute and enable violence and mass murder to find fertile soil in the United States. While we do not yet know all the circumstances behind this latest horror, we must address seriously matters like restoring civility to our society, as well as the ready availability of military grade assault weapons and the way we deal with issues of mental illness.”

See the RCA’s 2014 Resolution on Gun Violence in America here.