Consolation is scarce in the worst of times, but Hadassah, through its life-saving mission, enables us to do more than grieve.

This year the task of remembering the departed is particularly fraught as 12 people on the list were lost to acts of violence in U.S. synagogues.

The argument is not simply between Second Amendment die-hards and liberals fighting for stronger gun laws. It involves rising anti-Semitism, political rhetoric and easier access to firearms.