I grieve deeply for the 11 congregants who died, and the two members who were seriously injured, in the Oct. 27 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My heart goes out to their families, their rabbi, the Squirrel Hill community and to every Jew in America. Your pain is my pain. Your loss is my loss. Many share my sentiments.

My heart goes out to Rebecca Strauss in particular. Her Oct. 31 letter to the editor was an SOS to those of us who have not yet reached out to our Jewish friends and acquaintances. The silence she (and possibly others) is experiencing can be deafening, isolating and scary. So, please reach out now, in your own special way.

Many thanks to the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine for organizing a beautiful and very moving interfaith community vigil for peace, love and unity on Oct. 30. Congregation Bet Ha’am, of South Portland, is appreciated for providing a very welcoming venue and for successfully accommodating the super-large turnout of caring and diverse Mainers, whose genuine support was overflowing.

The Portland Press Herald’s Nov. 6 op-eds by authors Shoshana Hoose (Maine Voices) and Kathleen Parker (a syndicated columnist) were very relevant and well-written. They contained suggestions for repairing our broken society. These ideas are worthy of consideration. Shalom.

Patricia Council

Portland