As a cantor with rabbinic and cantorial colleagues serving synagogues throughout the country and all over the world, this murderous rampage hit closer to home than ever. Also, I am the mom of twin sons, both with disabilities, one with Fragile X Syndrome, just as Cecil and David Rosenthal had Fragile X. The lessons my sons regularly teach me about the meaning of true belonging far surpass my hard won advocacy on their behalf.
The Only Wisdom
The only wisdom
there ever was
or ever will be
is a welcome.
So when that ear-splitting gun
spewed blood and danger,
blasted through sanctuary space
obliterating beings,
somehow the world
was still offered
a lesson in silent grace:
Cecil and David Rosenthal –
their anti-hate handshake
of a warm hello
extended each Saturday
to every friend
and every stranger.
Amy Brenner Mitz is an ordained cantor who has served congregations in Chicago, St. Louis, New York and New Hampshire. She has an older brother with autism. Presently she lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband and 24 year old twin sons, one with Fragile X Syndrome, the other with Koolen DeVries.
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