Rabbi Andrew Jacobs

This was one of the most painful sermons I’ve ever had to write and deliver.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination — along with the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in Washington, D.C., Karen Diamond in Boulder, Brian Thompson in New York, and Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in Minnesota (not named in the sermon but no less important) — reveals something deeply broken in America. In this sermon, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs challenges us to rise above hate, confront violence with conscience, and rediscover what it means to be truly human. This means reclaiming civil discourse — learning to disagree without dehumanizing, to speak with conviction without inciting violence, and to recognize that the survival of our democracy depends on the dignity of our dialogue.

Please note: healthy debate means we can disagree on ideas without dehumanizing each other. I will not tolerate any comments that support the murder of Charlie Kirk. Disagree with him — do not defend his assassination.