Friends:
The heinous killing of the innocent Jewish men and women worshipping in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh was an unimaginable act of violence. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those who have felt the impact, particularly members of the Jewish community and those with family and friends in Pittsburgh.
In Pittsburgh, the verbal and physical assault was on the Jewish community. Today, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, we stand together in solidarity with Tree of Life Synagogue and our local Jewish friends against this hatred and all forms of anti-semitism, bigotry, and injustice.
To the Jewish community:
You have my personal and the St. Cloud State University institutional commitment to recognize and honor the history and contributions of the Jewish community. We are committed to growing and nurturing our existing relationships in the greater St. Cloud area. And we are committed to developing new relationships and new connections that will help us to raise the awareness that will help us to move beyond this current pain.
I intend to honor that commitment.
To the St Cloud State University community:
We will remain committed to creating an inclusive community. It is fitting that we gather today in the St. Cloud State Welcome Center. We welcome and value the engagement of all community members who we will treat with dignity and respect. We are committed to dedicating the leadership and the time to support a culture of inclusive excellence, belonging, safety and well-being. We are committed to the development of critical thinking in responsible citizens who I believe will be the antidote to our current tumultuous society.
And St. Cloud State will honor that commitment.
To the greater St. Cloud community:
We have a responsibility to support the public higher education that fosters the discovery of new knowledge. We have a responsibility to be good neighbors and engaged citizens. We have a responsibility to work together to ensure that crimes against humanity, like the 11 murders at the Tree of Life Jewish synagogue, do not define our relationships with one another.
We all have a responsibility to honor that commitment.
