Rabbi Carl M. Perkins 
David Farbman, President
  



Always Look for the Helpers



August 15, 2017
 
Dear Friends,
 
This has been a very disturbing week so far -- and it has hardly begun.
 
Over the weekend, we witnessed an appalling display of anger, hatred and violence in Charlottesville, VA. In a far from peaceful manner, armed white supremacists and neo-Nazis marched through the streets and brawled with counter-demonstrators.  Many of us watched repeatedly the sickening scene of that car speeding into the crowd, evoking images of other such acts of terror, in London, Paris or Jerusalem.  There is no reasonable doubt as to the source of the lawlessness and the violence of that day.
 
Why did it happen? Could it have been prevented? Could the police have done more?
 
And, not to be too parochial about this, but: what did it feel like to the Jews in town?
 
Here's a chilling excerpt from a first-person account, written by Alan Zimmerman, president of Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform congregation in Charlottesville. It's lengthy, but it's worth reading:

On Saturday morning, I stood outside our synagogue with the armed security guard we hired after the police department refused to provide us with an officer during morning services. (Even the police department's limited promise of an observer near our building was not kept - and note, we did not ask for protection of our property, only our people as they worshipped). 

Forty congregants were inside. Here's what I witnessed during that time.

For half an hour, three men dressed in fatigues and armed with semi-automatic rifles stood across the street from the temple. Had they tried to enter, I don't know what I could have done to stop them, but I couldn't take my eyes off them, either. Perhaps the presence of our armed guard deterred them. Perhaps their presence was just a coincidence, and I'm paranoid. I don't know.

Several times, parades of Nazis passed our building, shouting, "There's the synagogue!" followed by chants of "Seig Heil" and other anti-Semitic language. Some carried flags with swastikas and other Nazi symbols.

A guy in a white polo shirt walked by the synagogue a few times, arousing suspicion. Was he casing the building, or trying to build up courage to commit a crime? We didn't know. ...

When services ended, my heart broke as I advised congregants that it would be safer to leave the temple through the back entrance rather than through the front, and to please go in groups.

This is 2017 in the United States of America.

Later ..., we learned that Nazi websites had posted a call to burn [down] our synagogue. I sat with one of our rabbis and wondered whether we should go back to the temple to protect the building. What could I do if I were there? Fortunately, [the threat] was just talk - but we had already deemed such an attack within the realm of possibilities, taking the precautionary step of removing our Torahs, including a Holocaust scroll, from the premises.

Again: This is in America in 2017. 

At the end of the day, we felt we had no choice but to cancel a Havdalah service at a congregant's home. It had been announced on a public Facebook page, and we were fearful that Nazi elements might be aware of the event. Again, we sought police protection - not a battalion of police, just a single officer - but we were told simply to cancel the event.

Local police faced an unprecedented problem that day, but make no mistake, Jews are a specific target of these groups, and despite nods of understanding from officials about our concerns - and despite the fact that the mayor himself is Jewish - we were left to our own devices. The fact that a calamity did not befall the Jewish community of Charlottesville on Saturday was not thanks to our politicians, our police, or even our own efforts, but to the grace of God.

And yet, in the midst of all that, other moments stand out for me, as well.

John Aguilar, a 30-year Navy veteran, took it upon himself to stand watch over the synagogue through services Friday evening and Saturday, along with our armed guard. He just felt he should. ... 
 
A frail, elderly woman, crying, approached me Saturday morning as I stood on the steps in front of our sanctuary, to tell me that, while she was Roman Catholic, she wanted to stay and watch over the synagogue with us. At one point, she asked, "Why do they hate you?" I had no answer to the question we've been asking ourselves for thousands of years.

At least a dozen complete strangers stopped by as we stood in front of the synagogue Saturday to ask if we wanted them to stand with us.

And our wonderful rabbis stood on the front lines with other Charlottesville clergy, opposing hate.

Most attention now is, and for the foreseeable future will be, focused on the deaths and injuries that occurred, and that is as it should be. But for most people, before the week is out, Saturday's events will degenerate into the all-to-familiar bickering that is part of the larger, ongoing political narrative. The media will move on ...

We will get back to normal, also. We have two b'nai mitzvah coming up, and soon, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur will be upon us, too.
 
After the nation moves on, we will be left to pick up the pieces. Fortunately, this is a very strong and capable Jewish community, blessed to be led by incredible rabbis. We have committed lay leadership, and a congregation committed to Jewish values and our synagogue. In some ways, we will come out of it stronger -- just as tempering metals makes them tougher and harder.

******

We here in Boston -- far from the seat of the Confederacy, and proud of being the home of leading 19th century abolitionists -- woke up to our own disturbing news: For the second time this summer, Boston's Holocaust Memorial was vandalized. And we too may be hosting a white supremacist rally (termed a "Free Speech" rally) this coming Saturday.
 
I think it's important to recognize what is happening and what is not happening.
 
What is happening is that many people who (fortunately) have been on the fringes of American society for many years have suddenly found their voices and they are raising them. Their strength has been renewed. They have come to realize that they have more support now, and they are less ostracized, than previously. And so they are more visible.
 
And yet, let's not exaggerate. I don't believe that Jews or African-Americans or other groups perceived as marginal are about to lose their citizenship or that a Nazi regime is about to take over the United States of America. While acutely disturbing -- and eerily familiar to us --, thugs shouting that "Jews will not replace us" is not the same as Nazis taking over Germany in the 1930's.
 
And yet, it's important to name what we are witnessing and to express our revulsion at it and our condemnation of it.
 
We should not be complacent.  We should stand up for decency and equality and dignity, and decry racism and bigotry. 
 
There will be several opportunities in the next few days to do just that. There will be a gathering at the Needham Town Common this evening (Tuesday) at 7:00 pm organized by several members of the Needham Diversity Initiative.  (Click here for details.)  And this coming Saturday, plans are afoot for what is being described as "a Unity Gathering" to protest the reportedly bigoted message of the organizers of the planned "Free Speech" march.
 
How do we talk to our children about all this? How do we help them understand the threats that such intolerance and bigotry pose to all of us -- and yet also give them faith and hope in the future? 
 
Just this morning I was reminded of the wise words of the late Fred Rogers, who broadcast a winning show for youngsters on PBS for decades.  As he put it, "Always Look for the Helpers." As we saw here in Boston in the aftermath of the 2015 Marathon bombings, and as Mr. Zimmerman saw in Charlottesville just the other day, it is incredibly encouraging and inspiring to see how some people can "rise to the occasion" in the face of appalling behavior by others.  

Actually, instead of reading my own words, why not see how Mr. Rogers himself described it?  Take a look at the following 57 second Youtube clip in which he explains the phrase "Always Look for the Helpers" -- and gives credit where credit is due:



And go here for a list of several excellent books for kids demonstrating positive reactions to racism and anti-Semitism.  They can spark good discussions in the home.    

I hope that the coming days will bring us greater individual and national clarity concerning what just happened in Charlottesville and what we need to do about it. May we act courageously and forcefully in the face of threats to the freedom and dignity of all Americans. May we gain strength from our legacy, and may we be inspired -- and resolve -- to do the right thing, and to be the helpers we know we should be.

Sincerely,
 
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins


Temple Aliyah | 1664 Central Avenue | Needham, MA 02492
Phone: 781-444-8522 |  www.templealiyah.com