President Jane Close Conoley Issues the Following Statement on Tree of Life Killings
By Jane Close Conoley
Dear Beach Community,
And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. —Elie Wiesel
What words are left in our shared and different languages to describe the killing of 11 and wounding of six more at the Tree of Life Synagogue? What phrases have we not used already when faced with the horror of mass shootings in the United States? I am at a loss to find appropriate terms to express my deep sympathy for the victims and their families and my revulsion at the crime.
Our campus is home to Jewish students, faculty and staff, and home to many additional thousands who are devastated by this hateful violation. I believe I speak for all when I reaffirm our campus’ commitment to the excellence of diversity, equitable opportunities, and safety for every person whatever their personal attributes or beliefs.
This may be a time to reflect on any tendencies we have to simplify people into a label—Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, liberal, conservative, socialist, capitalist, Democrat, Republican, gay, lesbian, transgender, straight, black, white, brown, and so on. The people we gloss with labels are also grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends, workers, volunteers, readers, thinkers, and most importantly complex human beings. Each has an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No exceptions exist to those foundational rights guaranteed by the social contract that is our nation. We can be successful as a species only if we resist any tendencies to separate some people into “the other.” There is no other. There is only us.
Several of the Pittsburgh victims were elders in their congregation. They had contributed to their community for decades, only to be killed by an anti-Semite in the United States. Can we let that sink in as we reflect on what may be the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history? This terror follows other recent attacks in the U.S. on people because of their sexuality, their color, their beliefs, or their mere existence and vulnerability.
It’s an easy rationale to say that all these attackers are mentally unstable. While not dismissing compromised behavioral health as a variable, I think we also have to look at our society’s health when some among us openly assert that they will “not be replaced” by the “other.” We have to reject beliefs that direct us to cast out those who are different. We must eschew building our identities by denigrating others. Superiority of any human group compared to another is a myth born out of fear and/or insidious needs for power. An attack on any group is an attack on every group.
Sincerely,
Jane Close Conoley, Ph.D.
President
I urge any member of the Beach community who feels particularly affected by these events and needs support to call Counseling and Psychological Services at 562-985-4001.
Jane Close Conoley is president of California State University, Long Beach. She has previously held academic positions as professor of counseling, clinical and school psychology; dean and professor of educational psychology; and associate dean for research. Conoley is the author or editor of 21 books and more than 100 chapters, refereed journal articles and technical reports. Her areas of primary interest are interventions with children with disabilities—especially serious emotional disturbance and aggressive children and youth—and family intervention. Her most recent work investigates the application of the science of positive psychology to educational settings.
