This time, we got lucky. But even a cat only has nine lives, and eventually luck runs out.

That is the thought I keep coming back to after the shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario. The incident has been reported, but I am not sure the most important parts of the story are receiving the attention they deserve.

About two dozen people were inside the synagogue observing Yom Kippur when a man armed with a shotgun opened fire on a police officer stationed outside. The officer was seriously wounded. Police returned fire, and the gunman was shot and later died.

Those are the basic facts. But to me, there are two larger stories coming out of Belleville.

The first is about a police officer who put his life on the line protecting his community. We use the words “protect and serve” so often that it is easy to forget what they can actually require of the men and women who wear the uniform. In Belleville, an officer went to work and found himself facing an armed man with a shotgun outside a synagogue on Yom Kippur. He was seriously wounded doing his job.

I consider that officer a hero. Whatever we eventually learn about the gunman’s intentions, the officer confronted an armed threat and responded at enormous personal risk. His presence changed how the incident unfolded, and that deserves to be........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)