Deadly Attack Against Rep. Giffords Leaves Us Pained

As Speaker of the House John Boehner said yesterday, "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve." We, too, noted the political nature of the shooting in our statement, "We do not yet know the specific motive behind this despicable act. But there can be no ignoring the increasing culture of violence in our nation and particularly in our political discourse. Dehumanizing language and images of violence are regularly used to express differences of opinion on political issues. Such language is too often heard by others, including those who may be mentally ill or ideologically extreme, to justify the actual use of violence. It continues to be far too easy to acquire guns, including the weapon used in today's shootings. Americans must be able to have robust and healthy differences of opinion while respecting the humanity and patriotism of those with whom they disagree."

Rep. Giffords, 40, is a member of Reform Congregation Chaverim; the Reform Jewish community of Tucson is uniting in prayer, joined by millions elsewhere from all faiths, in the wake of this attack.