To His Excellence The Ambassador of Japan
Dr. Takahiro Shinyo
On behalf of the International Council of Christians and Jews, I would like to express the sincere condolences of our members throughout the world to the Japanese people, for the tremendous losses they have suffered in the last few weeks. At first I thought we might wait to see how the nuclear reactor crisis had been resolved, but now I understand that the situation may drag on into the future, so I decided it was time to share our feelings with you.
We have been most impressed with the courage and dedication of the reactor’s workers, risking their own lives to try to avert a greater disaster. We have also been impressed with the quiet courage and self-discipline of the Japanese, trying to continue some semblance of normal life under very adverse conditions. But mostly, our hearts have gone out to those Japanese who have lost family and dear ones in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Having myself visited Hiroshima, I know that the people of that area rebuilt a thriving and vibrant city after the nuclear attack in 1945; I hope and pray that today, the Japanese people will recover from their present distress.
Please accept our best wishes for your welfare. I will conclude with some quotations from the comforting prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah. They, of course, were first said in a very different context, but I hope they can provide some consolation now, as well:
“I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow… This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded”.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Deborah Weissman
ICCJ President
Reply by the Ambassador of Japan,
Dr. Takahiro Shinyo,
April 04, 2011:
Reply