Shabbat is supposed to be peaceful. It is the one day of the week set aside for rest, for us and for prayer. This past week, Shabbat was about something different.

On Oct. 27, 11 people were shot dead in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Much of the response that I have been seeing from many on social media has been shock and surprise that this kind of horrific anti-Semitism can exist in today’s world. Well, welcome to America.

The fate of the Jewish community is tied to the fate of all minority communities in America, and it is our responsibility to show up in support of other minority groups and use what privilege we have to stand up for them.

Of the recent debates about reducing gun violence in the wake the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., no measure has received more universal support than stricter controls for the purchase of weapons by the mentally ill, particularly through the creation of a national mental health registry. It’s pretty hard to argue against.