Kansas flags are to be flown at half-staff Friday, as they were Thursday, to honor three people shot to death at two Jewish sites in Overland Park.
Dr. William Corporon and his grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, were shot and killed Sunday — the day before the start of Passover — outside of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City. A third victim, Terri Lamanno, was shot moments later at the Village Shalom, a Jewish retirement complex.
The suspect is a 73-year-old man described as “a known white supremacist.”
The community center reopened Wednesday. The center is a hub of community activity for all people. Its early childhood development center alone serves 235 children each day. All told, the center has about 8,500 members, and 45 percent of them aren’t Jewish.
President Barack Obama, during the White House’s annual Seder celebration, commented on the atrocity:
“As Americans, we will continue to stand united against this kind of terrible violence, which has no place in our society.  We will continue to come together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, that can lead to hatred and violence.  And we will never lose faith that compassion and justice will ultimately triumph over hate and fear.
“For that is one of the great lessons of the Exodus. The tale of the Hebrew slaves and their flight from Egypt carries the hope and promise that the Jewish people have held in their hearts for thousands of years, and it is has inspired countless generations in their own struggles for freedom around the globe.
“In America, the Passover story has always had special meaning. We come from different places and diverse backgrounds, but we are bound together by a journey from bondage to liberty enshrined in our founding documents and continued in each generation. As we were so painfully reminded on Sunday, our world is still in need of repair, but the story of the Exodus teaches us that with patience, determination, and abundant faith, a brighter future is possible.”