Re: Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church welcomes unvetted Syrian refugees
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Traitors
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Date: June 04, 2016 06:28PM
“We as a congregation feel it’s especially important for us. Especially as Jews. We’re commanded in the Torah to be kind to the stranger, because we were strangers in the land of Egypt,” Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe said. “We want to give them a message of welcome, which is not always what they’re hearing in this country.”
Virginia Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Fairfax), a member of the synagogue since childhood who was married at Rodef Shalom and recently saw his daughter’s bat mitzvah there, was deeply impressed by how easily the two groups interacted. “I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of Temple Rodef Shalom than I am tonight,” he said, just before a brief song session. The music: the Hebrew melody “Hinei Ma Tov,” which praises brotherly gatherings; the Muslim song of welcome and thanksgiving that celebrated the prophet Muhammad’s arrival in Medina; and a multilingual refrain that repeated “peace, salaam, shalom.”