2019
April
29
Monday

Monitor Daily Podcast

April 29, 2019
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The Poway, California, synagogue shooting this past weekend paints yet another vivid portrait of hate and violence. Sri Lanka. New Zealand. Pittsburgh. In each, scared young men believing that power lies in violence lashed out at a house of worship.

In the newsroom today, Monitor editors considered the underlying causes. Are such attacks the modern day equivalent of a pogrom? Is this the manifestation of white nationalists’ fear of declining influence? Is this a byproduct of populism? After the New Zealand mosque shooting, the Monitor’s Harry Bruinius wrote about how the faithful worship in “the midst of seeming nihilistic hatred.”

But in every case, these attacks produce enduring portraits of defiance, self-sacrifice, and unity.

Moments after Saturday’s attack, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein stood on a chair, his wounded hand wrapped in a prayer shawl. “Terrorism like this will not take us down,” he told his congregation.

The lone fatality was an act of selflessness. Lori Gilbert-Kaye died stepping between the gunman and Rabbi Goldstein. Almog Peretz was wounded while shepherding children out of harm’s way. A US Army vet ran toward the shooter and chased him into the street.

Later, Rabbi Goldstein asked for all to respond to the attacks with light, with acts of kindness. “I pray for the healing during this time, for the pain and grief, and I ask the world to do something to add more light to combat evil darkness,” he said.

“A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness,” he told CNN from his hospital bed.

Now to our five selected stories, including why U.S. offshore drilling faces bipartisan opposition, why the end of an imperial era spurs new beginnings in Japan, and how military vets are finding fulfillment in farming.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Bernat Armangue/AP
Spain's far-right Vox party supporters attend the closing election campaign event in Madrid on April 26.

The sudden success of an ultranationalist party in Spain reflects voter concerns over identity and the flow of immigrants from Africa.

Karen Norris/Staff

Our reporter looks at why opposition to offshore drilling is growing. It turns out that U.S. energy independence sounds good until state officials look at the potential risk to the local environment and businesses.

Kim Kyung-Hoon/AP
Japan's Emperor Akihito, center left, and Empress Michiko, center right, are greeted as they attend the reception of Midori Academic Prize award ceremony in Tokyo Friday, April 26.

In this story, we look at why the abdication of Japan’s emperor is not a mournful occasion. For many Japanese, it’s a cause for celebration and a fresh start.

Our reporter sifts through the facts and the flotsam surrounding the infamous “Steele Dossier” and explores why it gets so little attention in the Mueller report.

Richard Mertens
Sara Creech, who served in the Air Force as a nurse, holds a lamb on her farm in North Salem, Indiana. She has a variety of animals and crops.

After the adrenaline and trauma of war, transitioning to civilian life is challenging for some veterans. A nationwide effort is helping U.S. veterans find fulfillment, community, and healing in farming.

Karen Norris/Staff

The Monitor's View

AP
People of various faiths join in a vigil for the Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting victims at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, Calif., April 27.

Last Saturday, just after a lone gunman killed one and injured two at a synagogue in Poway, California, any number of people rushed to repair the rupture of harmony in the community. Two Muslims and a Sikh quickly went to the scene to offer aid. A nearby Orthodox church opened its door to the Jewish victims. Another church organized a candlelight interfaith vigil. Someone set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations. Counselors were sent to the homes of the Chabad of Poway victims.

Such tales of good deeds may never be fully tallied but even these few make a point often reinforced after a terrorist attack. In tragedy, people act in ways to recover the absolute values that bind people together despite differences in faith, politics, race, or anything else that creates today’s Towers of Babel.

In their sorrow, people in Poway told of courageous heroes who sacrificed themselves, as Lori Gilbert-Kaye did in shielding Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein from a bullet at the Passover service.

In their fears, people who were once strangers expressed love through shared prayers, hugs, or simply promises to improve security for houses of worship. “We will walk through this tragedy with our arms around each other,” said Poway Mayor Steve Vaus.

The Poway shooting may not go down in history as a major terrorist attack. Yet its stories of recovery are memorable reminders of how people can curb hate-fueled violence by reaching for ideals such as the sanctity of life, the equality of all, and the infinite worth of each individual. The people of Poway are not retreating from their differences. Yet they have now converged by their acts of comfort and a new reliance on ideals that inspire. Their community harmony was not so much restored as they were restored to the norms of harmony.

“We are all partners in creation,” Rabbi Goldstein said after the shooting. The good deeds in Poway provided a rescue from tragedy. They were also a tender embrace of the goodness behind the deeds.


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication – in its various forms – is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church – The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston – whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

In the wake of this weekend’s shooting at a synagogue not far from her home, today’s contributor reflects on how understanding the nature and power of God as Love can bring peace and calm as we attend our places of worship.


A message of love

Rahmat Gul/AP
Delegates record Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's speech on the first day of the Loya Jirga meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 29. More than 3,200 delegates from 34 provinces are participating in four days of peace talks between tribal elders and community and religious leaders.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow. We'll have reviews of three new films featuring women in leading roles, including an Aretha Franklin movie that our critic describes as “one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made.”

More issues

2019
April
29
Monday

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