Light in the Face of Dark!

Monday, April 16th 2007, will long be remembered as a dark day, a day that G-d was murdered 32 times over. Our sages have taught that man is created in the image of G-d, and that murdering a human being is likened to banishing G-d from our world.

In the most violent gun attack in U.S. history, 32 people were murdered on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Cho Seung-Hui, the lone gunman and an undergrad student at the University began his shooting spree by killing two people in a dormitory before making his way to Norris Hall, shooting 30 more people and finally turning the gun on himself.

The victims were students in the midst of their noble pursuit of education and teachers wanting nothing more than to help them achieve their goals. In our minds none of these beautiful lives we lost deserved their fate.

While a shocked world watched coverage of the events on television screens across the globe, the question “Why, why do bad things happen to good people?” was being asked by all. The answer to this, we may never know, but we do know that we must not let evil win. To pursue goodness in time of tragedy is something that Judaism has long taught.

Surely adding light to a dark story was a man who lost his life giving the ultimate gift to others – the gift of life. Romanian born Holocaust survivor, Professor Liviu Librescu, shielded the door to his classroom, allowing his students time to escape.

Professor Librescu gave his students life, and paid with his own.

This act earned Professor Librescu well deserved national attention and the title “True Hero”. Librescu’s death came on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day throughout the world, and this - in my opinion - sends a very powerful message.

After surviving the Holocaust I’m sure Professor Librescu understood the value of life more than most of us which is why without thinking twice he threw himself in the path of a gunman to give younger lives a chance at the world. We now know one reason Professor Liviu Librescu survived the Holocaust.

At 7:00 AM on Tuesday, April 17th, Rabbi Danny Cohen from Chabad of Chevron, a close friend of Professor Librescu’s family called the Rabbi of Chabad at UVA, Rabbi Shlomo Mayer. Cohen told Mayer of the professor’s death and asked if there was a Rabbi that could arrange the proper Jewish treatment of the Professor’s remains. Ensuring him that it would be taken care of, Mayer called Rabbi Yossel Kranz of Chabad in Richmond, and together they traveled directly to the coroner’s office in Roanoke, VA.

Professor Librescu’s remains were released in a timely manner - as prescribed by Jewish law - after many telephone conversations with Congressman Eric Kantor and with Governor Tim Kaine’s office. Funeral services, attended by hundreds of Jewish people were held in New York on Wednesday before the professor was flown to Israel for burial in Ra’nana on Friday morning.

In response to the tragedies, the Chabad on Campus International Foundation instituted “Hearts to Hokies - Week of Goodness and Kindness”. The organization’s 100 plus locations across the globe began handing out ‘pledge-cards’ to students, faculty and friends to write a good deed they would do to honor the entire Virginia Tech Family. At the end of the week these cards will be presented to Virginia Tech.

In addition, Chabad on Campus also held “Shabbat Candle Lightings” in memory of Professor Librescu. Rabbi Shlomo Mayer – who is also Romanian born - noted that in one conversation he

had with the professor’s widow, Mrs. Marlena Librescu, she told of how much Liviu loved the Shabbat Candles tradition. Marlena relayed how her husband would lovingly remind her every Friday to light the candles and would watch intently as she did.

Marlena asked Rabbi Mayer if he could arrange for women and girls to light Shabbat Candles that week in Liviu’s memory. Rabbi Mayer assured her that this would be done, as it was, at

many College Campuses around the world.

The Jewish response to these tragedies was seen in all facets of the Jewish community. Most congregational Rabbis spoke of the atrocities in their sermons, encouraging congregants to add to their acts of goodness and kindness. Jewish Schools instituted mitzvah campaigns, including “The Wall of Good” at Hebrew Academy of Tidewater.

On the internet, social networking websites such as, www.facebook.com, were used to create groups for members to join and share their memories of lost friends, thoughts of hope and words condolence. I created one of these groups, which I titled “Hebrews for the Hokies” describing it as a group for Jewish people wishing to show support for Virginia Tech and to honor the victims of the Massacre.

Within the groups first 10 hours of existence 247 Jewish people under the age of thirty had

joined. Messages were posted in the group, and a Mitzvah campaign launched as well. Posts included condolence messages, words of hope and well wishes, and words of encouragement from the Torah. The group currently hosts 387 members.

On a closing note, The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that the most important thing to do in the face of darkness and tragedy is to turn around and show the world acts of light and joy – the need to turn tears into action.

A Chassidic Master, Rabbi Shalom Dovber taught exactly one hundred years ago from last week, that personal actions can change the routine of the world. Rabbi Shalom Dovber urged his followers to strive to rise to higher levels of goodness and to be sure that their personal choices and actions were those that would change the world for the better for many years to come.

Professor Librescu’s heroic and brave actions have certainly accomplished that, as did the acts

of Chabad on Campus and Chabad in Virginia. On that same note, in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, I would strongly encourage everyone here in the Tidewater area to increase in acts of goodness and kindness and share in our joint responsibility of making this world a better place.

It’s our World, we live in it, and together we can – AND WILL - change it. Yasher Koach, and we should only report good tidings.

(www.chabad.org, www.chabad.edu, and www.lubavitch.com contributed to this report.)