HOUSTON – Houston faith-based groups said an attack on one religion is an attack on all religions.
People of all religious backgrounds came together Monday in southeast Houston to pray for peace following the deadly synagogue shooting in California.
It’s been an uneasy couple weeks for houses of worship during their most holy times.
On Monday night, the Houston Jewish community invited people of all faiths to stand in solidarity with the members of Chabad of Poway in San Diego.
“People come to worship to pray and feel comfortable in a place where they’re there to find peace and solace, talk to God,” said Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff with Chabad Lubavitch of Texas.
Lazaroff said tragic events, such as the deadly Passover shooting that left one dead and three wounded, has many feeling vulnerable. Chabad of Poway is the second American synagogue attacked within the last six months. During another holy celebration, hundreds of Christians were targeted Easter in Sri Lanka.
The spike in attacks has led many Houston house of worships to review their security plans. Lazaroff couldn’t share those in detail with KPRC2. He said security measures should be more proactive rather than reactive. He admits that can be a challenge for smaller synagogues.
“It’s really tough, especially for smaller congregations to be able to add to their very meager budget that they already have, which is already a shoestring budget,” he said.
Equally important as the physical security, Lazaroff said society needs to fix the root of the problem, which he believes stems from education.
“There’s some sort of illness that we have in our society where people feel like there is a need to wreak havoc on people’s peace and they want to take their anger out on people’s peaceful space,” he said. He hopes "we can reverse that anger and (teach) youth what’s the purpose of their life and how to respect and appreciate another person.”
During the event, people prayed for the San Diego Jewish community. Attendees were also asked to share ways they would spread kindness and write it on a banner. The banner will be sent to Chabad of Poway, according to Lazaroff, to show that Houston stands with them.