Dean's Message of Unity and Hope in Wake of Synagogue Shootings

Dean Cecile A. Feldman

Dean Cecile A. Feldman shared her response to the mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue last month, reaffirming RSDM's commitment to diversity and compassion.

"There is a saying that all living things are connected to each other in six or fewer connections.  If this saying is true (I believe it is), then everyone in this world is closely connected to each other,'' she wrote in an email to the RSDM community.  "This weekend’s events in Pittsburgh have certainly proven this to be the case."

Nothing that one of the victims was a dentist and alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, she also wrote that her extended family was personally affected.

"Many of the victims were friends of my niece’s family, who lived just blocks away from the Tree of Life Synagogue,'' wrote the dean.  "These acts of senseless violence are a constant reminder of how lucky we are at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine to have an environment in which diversity is not just valued, but celebrated.  Our lives are made so much richer by embracing each other’s background, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and religion."

She added, "Our hearts go out to the Pittsburgh community and our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends who have been affected. Let’s continue to be a strong voice for embracing diversity and help each other through these times of senseless acts."