Rabbi Alex Freedman was speechless.
As a new rabbi, he had not yet been in the situation of comforting mourners in deep distress. And now here he was, finding out that Seth Rich — his former camper, and a beloved member of Camp Ramah Wisconsin — had been murdered. What should he do?
In the aftermath of the Democratic staffer’s killing in Washington, D.C., a year ago today, his former counselors reached out to one another, sharing their shock and horror. Freedman, encouraged by his senior rabbi, flew to Rich’s hometown of Omaha during shiva to give his condolences personally to Rich’s family.
“I was nervous the whole time, because I’d never been in this situation before,” Freedman said. “I told them, ‘I don’t know what to say,’ and they said, ‘There’s nothing to say.’ And after that, it got easier.”
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