Just think of it. If anybody had valid reasons to drift away from such observances, to question the ways of God or even God’s very existence, it was prisoners in a Nazi death camp. Yet some of them risked their lives to practice their faith and preserve traditions so that they could endure for future generations.

With the establishment of Israel, Jews took defense into their own hands. Surrounded by enemies and condemned by most of the world, they not only turned the desert green, but made it into a modern, high-tech economy.

The Pittsburgh shooter wrote about the need to end the “kike infestation.” He opened fire shouting, “All Jews must die.”

But, as with others who wanted to eliminate the Jews throughout history, the shooter did not understand us. He didn’t realize that his actions would only deepen our connection to Judaism and remind us of the strong bonds that connect us to each other. And so, the shooter will live out his days in a cell and join the long list of evil men who fantasized about destroying us — and failed.