After the Pittsburgh shooting, I felt a heaviness descend. The bright light that Judaism had always been for me became overwhelmed by darkness.
But, as the days went by, little sparks of light began to glimmer. The rallying of the Pittsburgh community around the Tree Of Life Synagogue, the financial and emotional support of local Muslim groups, and the people around the country who organized and raised money to support the victims and their families were all shining examples of hope.
One group that particularly inspired me were the students of Tzohar Seminary in Pittsburgh. The tragedy occurred only three weeks into their first year of Seminary, but, instead of sinking into darkness, the young ladies decided to help bring light back to the Jews of Pittsburgh.
Each of the eleven students lit a candle and dedicated their year of learning to one of the eleven victims. Then, the Tzohar students baked challah and went out into the streets to hand it out and ask people to light Shabbat candles in memory of one of the martyrs.
The students used their newly acquired filmmaking skills to create a video showing the beautiful work they had done to help bring back light to the community.