HEALING: NEED IS FOR BRIDGES, NOT WALLS, LEADERS SAY.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo and David R. Baker Staff Writers

In the aftermath of last week's racist shootings, Jewish religious leaders in the San Fernando Valley are urging congregations to fight back - by praying for peace, reaching out to others and tempering emotions.

They said they are concerned about some who are grappling with how to respond to the horrific shooting without becoming militant.

``We need to build bridges within the community by communicating the message of what Judaism is all about: justice, compassion and mercy,'' said Rabbi Richard Camras of the Shomrei Torah synagogue in West Hills.

``We believe that as a congregation we have to be proactive by beefing up security at our facilities,'' he said. ``But not to the point where we ourselves are imprisoned by drastic measures. Simply arming yourself does not necessarily make you immune to acts of violence.''

The synagogue, with a congregation of 630, is located just down the street from where white supremacist Buford O'Neal Furrow Jr. is accused of fatally shooting mail carrier Joseph Ileto Tuesday in Chatsworth. Police say his rampage began that day by wounding five people at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills.

One victim, 5-year-old Benjamin Kadish, remained hospitalized Saturday. Doctors successfully weaned him from a respirator Saturday, allowing him to breathe on his own for the first time in days.

The tragic shootings last week and subsequent disclosure of Furrow's racist connections have piqued security concerns within a community that has been violently targeted in racist attacks around the world.

At Temple Aliyah's shabbat services Saturday in Woodland Hills, Rabbi Stewart Vogel and his congregation struggled with the sudden feeling of vulnerability the shooting left in its wake.

Vogel urged the more than 300 people present not to give in to hatred following the attack. Instead, he asked them to concentrate on the support pouring in from Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors and friends.

``Whether you're Jewish, whether you're Christian, whether you're Muslim, it's important to acknowledge that people don't stand alone in these moments,'' Vogel said. ``When we focus on the hatred, we lose ourselves. We lose our Jewish spirit.''

Debra Perlo in the congregation admitted to feeling despair after the attack. Suddenly, another place that had seemed safe had been shown to be vulnerable.

Yet she too was heartened by the community's reaction.

``I love the way synagogues and churches have banded together,'' Perlo said. ``It gives you a real shot in the arm.''

Some at Temple Aliyah wondered how to deal with people who hate Jews simply for existing. ``It's baseless hatred, just looking for a scapegoat,'' said Tom Block. ``And I don't know that there's anything we can do about it other than being good people ourselves.''

Taking to the streets

A group of 50 to 60 volunteers, mostly college students, is preparing to form foot patrols around the city in an effort to deter attacks and give older Jews a feeling that something is being done by their own.

The ``PEACE FORCE'' was founded in 1981 by Phil Blazer, publisher of the Jewish News, and is being revived this month after more than 10 years of inactivity.

Blazer said the volunteers, mostly college students, will wear ``PEACE FORCE'' T-shirts and carry cell phones to contact police in neighborhoods surrounding synagogues and Jewish centers around the Valley, the Westside and Beverly-Fairfax area.

``Armed security guards are definitely a deterrent,'' he said. ``But volunteers are a more positive deterrent because it gives people within our community an opportunity to take action and reassure the seniors, many of whom experienced the Holocaust and may feel helpless against violent attacks on the streets.''

Camras said discussion at synagogue this weekend will focus on a biblical passage known as the Shoftim, which reads: ``Justice, justice thou shall pursue.''

Repetition of the word justice, he explained, signified the roles that both law enforcement officials and ordinary people must play.

He said many congregation members were of the opinion that their ``way of life as Jews should not be affected by hate or acts of violence.''

Other Valley rabbis had a similar message for those in their congregations.

Reaching out for peace

Rabbi Menachem Lipskier from Chabad of Sherman Oaks said the only solution to violence is to reach out to others to quell ignorance and prejudice.

``We're going to double our efforts to show how love and peace (are) part of our Jewish tradition,'' he said. ``The last Jewish month of the year before Rosh Hashana is a time for evaluating our past year to see what we did, what we could have done, and what we will do to correct that.''

``There will always be lunatics out there, but we're urging people to reach out and not hide away.''

Another step Jews can take, he said, is to place a traditional mezuza on their doors.

The small cylinders carry a parchment scroll inside that contains the basic beliefs of Judaism and symbolize protection for homes and businesses from wrongdoing.

Lipskier said many of his congregation members do not support placing more armed guards at their facilities because ``it sends the wrong message to the children that we're under some sort of military attack or something.''

He said it's important to keep the perspective that last week's violent attack is not commonplace.

``We're not in the Dark Ages anymore. Things have improved greatly and we can't revert to living in fear.''

Crossing ideologies

Rabbi Steven Jacobs from Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills said he was telling Jews there to avoid creating a ``bunker mentality.''

Jacobs was part of a delegation that accompanied the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Belgrade last May to secure freedom for three U.S. prisoners of war.

``There's been an outpouring of support from other religious communities and groups,'' he said.

John Fishel, president of the Jewish Federation, said the great concern for security at the dozens of facilities the group coordinates calls for Jewish leadership to come together to reassess security and modify it if necessary.

``We're planning to hold a series of meetings with the Anti-Defamation League and various leaders to discuss security,'' he said.

``Having armed security at centers is regrettable. It doesn't give the message of happiness that we would like to have ideally, but it's a reality we have to deal with.''

For all the concerns about safety, however, many in the Jewish community say they are determined to live their lives. While much of Saturday's service at Temple Aliyah focused on the shootings, for example, the congregation had other business at hand.

Perlo and her husband, Sandy, celebrated their 22nd anniversary. Parents fought back tears through two b'nai mitzvah. And fidgety children cried in the background, an insistent reminder of the future.

CSUN RALLY

Gov. Gray Davis and Mayor Richard Riordan are scheduled to speak in Northridge on Sunday at a community rally for unity in the aftermath of the shootings at the North Valley Jewish Community Center and the killing of a postal worker in Chatsworth.

The rally on the CSUN campus is intended to bring residents together to honor the heroes of the violent rampage and to express solidarity against hate crimes in the Los Angeles community.

Religious and civic leaders are set to speak at the rally organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Los Angeles, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and the Anti-Defamation League.

WHERE: California State University, Northridge, quad area

WHEN: 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday

PARKING: Go to the campus entrance at the corner of Nordhoff Street and Darby Avenue for directions.

INFORMATION: [phone].

- Daily News

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Photo, Box

PHOTO Rabbi Stewart Vogel of Temple Aliyah urges people not to give in to hatred following last week's attack.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

BOX: CSUN RALLY (see text)