NEW YORK (RNS) — When the Rev. Eric Manning arrived in New York for a recent speaking engagement, a friendly face was waiting for him.
As he walked off the plane, there was his friend, Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers.
“Somebody might say, ‘it’s not a big deal,” said Manning. “It’s a big deal to me.”
Monday (Oct. 27) marks the seven-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where Myers is the rabbi and cantor. And this week marks the seventh anniversary of Myers’ and Manning’s unlikely friendship — one that has led both men to believe that love is stronger than the hate that seeks to divide us.
On Oct. 27, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Tree of Life, killing 11 members of the congregation — a day that still haunts Myers. A few days after the shooting, as Myers was sorting through the thousands of emails that came in after the tragedy, a message with the headline of Charleston popped up. He clicked on the email and found a message from Manning, the pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, a congregation with its own history of tragedy.
Manning’s message was simple: I’m coming to town.
At first, Myers said, he was reluctant to respond, saying …