Above all, we must not allow the smoke of burned tires and the anger of mobs to eclipse the rising of the sun. We are in a new era, a new year, a new century. And we cannot and must not turn back to the future. This is the 21st century, and we have learned many lessons from the past tragic century. I call upon leaders of the church and mosque, the ministers, priests, imams to raise their voices and strengthen the movement toward peace.
Silence is the betrayal that plays into the hands of Cassandra.
This is the time for Jews in the Diaspora to go beyond our rile of spectators, voyeurs, occasional tourists, cheerleaders on the side who come alive only with the sound of explosives and the sight of the blood of innocents. We need more than crisis rallies. We cannot live as 911 Jews, to meet only in emergency. I call upon Federations, synagogues, temples, centers, organizations with political, economic, moral experts to help us understand the revolutionary challenge of our times, the transforming of a people no longer vanquished, persecuted and victimized, but proud people destined to co-exist with another people. We must seize even this sad, unique opportunity.