The NCJW|LA community is heartbroken over this weekend’s horrifying acts of violence at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. NCJW’s work is inspired by and based on the Jewish value of Kavod Ha’Briot, respect and dignity for all human beings.

In the spirit of Kavod Ha’Briot, NCJW|LA stands with the LGBTQ community as well as with the Muslim community in combating hate and intolerance, and we will continue to advocate for true policy change when it comes to gun violence prevention.

We stand with the LGTBQ community and will continue to advocate for respect, equality, love, and an end to all violence against the LGBTQ community, especially against LGBTQ people of color who are disproportionately victimized in homophobic and transphobic acts of violence and hate.

We stand with the Muslim community and will continue to advocate against the scapegoating or blaming of the members of an entire religious group, or of a religion as a whole, for the acts of one individual.

We stand with all victims and survivors of gun violence and will continue to advocate for gun violence prevention. Policy changes are necessary and we cannot continue to tolerate gun laws that ignore the truth–that we have more mass shootings in the United States than in any other country in the world. This must end now.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center put out this statement over the weekend: “We cannot allow this hateful, murderous incident to silence us. Yes, we must express our grief and anger. But we must also make it clear that we will NOT be deterred by hate and violence, and that we celebrate in defiance of bigotry and fear. We stand for peace. We stand for community. We stand for Orlando.”

We hope you will join us in standing for and with Orlando.

To read the statement issued over the weekend by Nancy K. Kaufman, CEO of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), click here.