Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 21, 2025
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the advent of the Jewish New Year ushering in the year 5786, I wax a bit more introspectively, perhaps more so as the political assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is still raw. He sought order amidst the chaos.
That order, for Charlie, came through the church. I find that same order in the synagogue, or shul. One of the myriad things, in addition to our abiding faith in G-d, Charlie and I had in common is our observance of the Jewish Sabbath - Shabbat. I heard Charlie often say he observed the Jewish Sabbath - from Friday night sundown, through Saturday night sundown. He reveled in the opportunity to step back from the rigors of the work week - those same six days the L-rd labored before, as it says in scripture, “He ceased from work and rested.” If that’s good enough for G-d, it most certainly is good enough for the rest of us.
Charlie said Shabbat gave him the all important family time - with his wife Erika and their two children he lacked the other six days of the week. He said they turned off their phones - they had no connection with the outside world, and the outside world had no connection with them.
Religion offers order amidst chaos. Many people have declared the structure of a church or shul service grants them peace - the ritual. I know walking into any shul, whether in Indianapolis where we live, or Baltimore, Mexico City, or Jerusalem at what point the service is. This is due to the ritual. Whether a prayer is being chanted or recited, I know where to turn in the siddur - prayer book. It’s familiar; comforting, and shuts out the outside world providing order amidst the chaos.
When religion found itself exiled from daily life, it opened the door to chaos, and the devil, and far too frequently that chaos, that devil, found acceptance in people’s lives. More than a century ago conservatives ceded the education of our children to the left, which preached, among other things, unimportance of the family. The federal government took that one step further when it replaced the father in the home with a welfare check - infinitely less order and much more chaos. Fatherless boys turned to gangs for a father figure, and more often than not, it ended with a prison record or a coffin. Single parent families lead to more children dropping out of school, higher crime rates, greater use of illicit drugs, higher teen pregnancy, and sadly, more slaughter of children in the womb - abortion. I witnessed this up close and in person having taught middle and high school in inner city public and charter schools. Perhaps were prayer returned to school along with dress codes or uniforms order could begin to be restored.
This is the point of no return - when people lose their humanity, when life ceases to have value, which is what has given rise to the point at which our society stands now - solving disagreements and arguments with political assassinations. A grim figure shows a growing acceptance, almost exclusively from the left, that assassination is an acceptable form of behavior as a solution to a problem. Particularly among the 18-35 generation. Increased polarization separating left from right is not just on a sharp rise, it seems to be coming more from one side than another. Almost exclusively from the left, and even a couple on the right, live in echo chambers where they only hear that which they agree with, and to hear anything to the contrary causes them discomfort and triggers them to behave irrationally. There is no law protecting people from hearing things with which they do not agree or that discomforts them.
Just recently on the floor of the House of Representatives when a call for a moment of prayer in memory of the just fallen Charlie Kirk, a number of Democrats loudly objected, and then continued to interrupt the attempts to memorialize Kirk in prayer. Why? Because they disagreed with him? The man stood for free speech, and sadly, died because of free speech. This is what is masquerading as free speech from the left? Democrats and leftists employed cancel culture throughout the Biden administration to silence and demonize the right or scare the right into submission. Fortunately that did not work.
A leftist assassinated Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare in New York City on December 4, 2024 to the glee of those on the left. SO much so, they are celebrating the assassin. An extremist antisemite assassinated Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim - two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC on May 21, 2025. Deranged trans leftists are responsible for shootings at two religious schools - three students and three adults murdered at Covenant School in the Nashville suburb of Green Hills on March 27, 2023, and just last month two students lost their lives at the Annunciation Catholic School in the Minneapolis suburb of Windom on August 27. And of course, two attempts on the life of President Trump during the 2024 campaign, which also have been celebrated by many on the left.
When George Floyd died in Minneapolis the left razed the city. No order whatsoever. Pure chaos. During the so-called summer of love in Seattle, no order, just chaos as people were killed in the streets. This came from the left. As did the virulent campus antisemitism, which plunged college and university campuses into academic darkness, unrest, and centers of abject fear for Jewish students. Again pure chaos. Absolutely no order. So much so, a number of university presidents found themselves on the unemployment line. Upon the assassination of Charlie Kirk no violent outbreaks or rioting, no looting and robbing of stores and businesses, no arsons occurred. Instead, outbreaks of prayer vigils, candlelight vigils, memorials with flowers and Bible verses could be found nationwide.
But if our so-called leaders continue to set such poor examples, in the halls of Congress, the halls of school houses where teachers often dress like streetwalkers and bums with voluminous piercings and tattoos, chaos will continue to reign while order won’t even be visible in the rear view mirror. One network noted, the Sunday following the assassination of Charlie Kirk saw a noticeable increase in church service attendance. I made the same observation the day before, in shul, on Shabbat.
If there is any hope for order it must start with leadership in all walks of life. Set an example. Turn off those phones for a 24 hour period. Dedicate oneself to the study of scripture, the Torah, even if for just an hour or two. Over the next three weeks Jewish people the world over will be immersed in prayer, reflection, introspection, seeking forgiveness from not only G-d, but from each other (that’s not so easy), and seeking inscription in the Book of Life for the next year. Throughout Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), and Simchat Torah (celebration of the completion of the cycle of reading the Torah and the beginning of the cycle yet again), there will be intense spirituality and ritual, returning us to order.
Let’s fill the pews and seats of the churches and shuls for meaningful religious experiences, reinvigorate family and family values, restore American values and patriotism as we approach America’s 250th birthday, return to what our founding documents stand for, including our freedoms of speech and religion. Freedom OF religion, not FROM religion. Bring G-d back to daily life and chaos will surrender to order. To those who will observe, Shana Tova Umetuka (a good and sweet year.)
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.
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