A Letter to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society

Early Sunday morning, Nabra Hassanen, a 17-year-old member of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, was murdered as she walked with friends from a worship service at the ADAMS Center. Following is a letter Rabbi Lustig and David Astrove wrote to the members and clergy of the ADAMS Center.

June 19, 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society,

“Oh, that my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night over the slain from the daughter of my people!” — Jeremiah 8:23

This past Friday, Imam Magid and his wife, Amaarah, joined Rabbi Lustig and Washington Hebrew Congregation leaders for the breaking of the fast and Shabbat dinner; two religious leaders and other members of the community, breaking bread together in peace, harmony, and hope.  

The ADAMS Center has been Washington Hebrew Congregation’s longstanding partner in faith, friendship, and learning. We have prayed together as members of a single community. We have shared meals, built stronger bonds through dialogue and learning, and worked side-by-side, hand-in-hand, and heart-to-heart to make the world a better place through our acts of social justice. Our leaders, religious and lay, are friends, and our congregations know each other not only by name but by years of a shared sense of community.

Today, our hearts are filled with sorrow for the horrific murder of Nabra Hassanen, an ADAMS Center teen, whose life was tragically cut short as she walked from the end of late prayers and an iftar with friends early Sunday morning.

We grieve with you today, but always, we stand with you in our shared love of God and of Peace. May Nabra’s name be a blessing, and may your community heal through faith, friendship, and love. You are in our prayers and hearts.

Sincerely,

M. Bruce Lustig, Senior Rabbi and David M. Astrove, President

---