Shalom Shaarei Kodesh,

Admittedly, I was wrapped in my own world these last two weeks:  preparing for Shavuot, taking care of our congregants, planning our robust programs, meetings upon meetings, caring for our family, and more.  At the end of a long day, Alissa looked at her phone and said, "I can't believe this, have you seen this video?  There are police officers sitting on a man's neck killing him!"  

At the time, I didn't look; I still had work to do.  But as I sat and started typing another document, another email, I stopped and watched the video.  In the days following, I wrote about my reaction to the ensuing events (click here to read).

I remembered a dvar torah that one of our bnai mitzvah children (Emily Lubin who is now in college) gave at her bat mitzvah:  

Lo Tuchal L'hitalem - You Shall Not Avert Your Eyes

It is a line from Deuteronomy 22:3

וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְשִׂמְלָתוֹ וְכֵן תַּעֲשֶׂה לְכָל־אֲבֵדַת אָחִיךָ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַד מִמֶּנּוּ וּמְצָאתָהּ לֹא תוּכַל לְהִתְעַלֵּם׃ (ס)
You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent.

In her dvar torah, Emily translated the word, L'hitalem, literally.  You shall not avert your eyes.  It came out of a situation where she saw a homeless man on the street.  The easy thing to do was to look ahead and ignore him; but the harder thing to do was to see him and help.  She chose the harder thing.  The original intent of the verse is to deal with lost items, but we can expand that concept to basic human dignity.  It is our duty to help return this basic right to our fellow citizens.  

I learned a powerful lesson that day; it is much easier, especially during a time of our own crisis, to only look at your area; but we have a responsibility to look beyond ourselves, to the suffering of others.  

For far too long, our country has averted our eyes from the suffering of people of color in our country.  The Jewish community has also played a role in averting our collective eyes; looking only at our own interests and struggles and ignoring the plight of our fellow citizens.  We have had some great heroes in Civil Rights, but the struggle for equality and equity for people of color did not end in the 1970's; it continued on and remains until this day. 

However, the issue today, after witnessing the tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police officers, is about something even more basic:  the right of our black brothers and sisters to live in this country without undue harassment or death at the hands of law enforcement.  

So many of Jews rightfully said outloud, what can I do?  How can I be part of the solution?  I was challenged by the words of Reverend Anthony Johnson, an ordained minister of 23 years and a long-time civil/human rights activist, in an article he wrote for the Forward:  

"In the wake of the recent lynchings in the Black community, a lot of my Jewish friends are asking me "How can we help?" and "What needs to be done?" What should be the response of the Jewish community to the killing of George Floyd?
The answer is simple: We'd like for the Jewish community to help us put an end the murder of innocent Blacks with the exact same fervor, dedication and commitment that you show towards preserving and defending your own families, that you show for Israel.
One of the main challenges to interfaith collaboration is that every community tends to prioritize its own, making the needs of other communities less of a priority, and even making reciprocity and interfaith collaboration themselves less of a priority. Those of us who seek to once again re-establish Black/Jewish relations have to learn how to prioritize one another's efforts. And in order for our respective cultures to understand one another's needs, there must first be "real" dialogue, real understanding.
Understand that each and every day, every one of your Black friends, including me, lives with the reality of being killed by police officers. Many Jews are white, or white passing; you walk in the street and be taken for a white person. We can't. And we need your help putting an end to the white supremacy that puts our lives at risk every day."

I highly recommend reading the rest of the article - click here for to read.  

In it, Reverend Johnson talks about our shared history, and how we can partner once again during these dark times. 

I have always been inspired by the famous phrase from Margaret Meade, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Today, we are seeing the other side:  how a small group of people can create so much death and destruction, whether it is a small group of police officers who target black and brown people, or looters and rioters who overtake peaceful protests.  

But I truly believe that the majority of our citizens are good.  Perhaps the greatest example of how we can come together is another video where protestors and police confronted each other, and rather than take up arms against each other, they kneeled, hugged, and prayed together.  You can read more about this story here.

The Fayetteville Police Department wrote:   "As a show of understanding the pain that is in our community and our nation regarding equality, the #FayPD took a knee to show that we also stand for justice for everyone,"  the department wrote . "We are committed to listening and treating everyone with dignity and respect."
Fayetteville officers kneel in solidarity with protesters
Fayetteville officers kneel in solidarity with protesters


I have no quick fixes for you today to solve the problem of race relations in our country.  Long ago, the great sage Rabbi Tarfon gave us a powerful teaching:    " Lo   alecha   hamlacha   ligmor , v'lo atah ben chorin l'hivatel mimena" - "You are not expected to complete the task, but neither are you free to avoid it." (Rabbi Tarfon, Pirkei Avot 2:21)

We plan to continue the important work of what it means to be a Jew in this country, not averting our eyes to the suffering of people of color, but helping them, and standing with them.

Please join us next Thursday for our  Thursday Night at the Theater as we discuss the movie Just Mercy which deals with racism in our country.      

I will be speaking about our current events through the lens of the Torah this Shabbat morning at our weekly Zoom Shabbat service.  I hope you can join us.

Let us all pray for healing, unity, and peace, and may we all work for a better future for all.

Oseh shalom bimromav hu b'rah|.|amav ya∙aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael v'al kol yosh'vei teiveil, v'imru amen.
May the One who creates peace on high mercifully bring peace to us and to all Israel and to all who dwell on earth. And we say: Amen.

Rabbi David Baum
Conservative/Masorti Rabbis Respond to the Murder of George Floyd, Pattern of Racism, Police Brutality Against Black Americans
Sunday May 31, 2020

In 2016, in response to incidents of police brutality against black people in Ferguson (Missouri), Baltimore and other cities in the United States, the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association for Conservative/Masorti rabbis, passed a Resolution on Racial Injustice and Police Brutality, which called on lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at reducing decades of historically high levels of inequality, especially in our prison system. It also called on members across the country to form deep, meaningful relationships with local communities across lines of faith and race, in order to better understand the issues that impact us all and to be in solidarity with movements for racial justice and inequality.
We are dismayed that since then, insufficient progress has been made and as we bear witness today to the brutality of treatment and subsequent death of George Floyd by law enforcement, and we cannot remain silent. As the Torah teaches, we will not stand idly by while our neighbor's blood is shed (Lev. 19:16).
The scourge of racism is prevalent in only some but far too much of our law enforcement and must be addressed and those guilty of abuse must be held accountable to the strictest penalty. It has become painfully evident that the overwhelming majority of decent officers and others entrusted with police powers and their oversight have not been able to make the necessary changes to a system that disproportionately targets minority communities and people of color.
We join in the collective call for peace and reflection during civil unrest, but understand that to achieve this end we must act. For these reasons, the Rabbinical Assembly calls on legislators at the national, state, and local levels to fundamentally change their approach to law enforcement and the justice system so that they serve and protect all Americans, regardless of race or ethnicity. We encourage our own members to reach out to other communities, to Jews of Color, as well as to local law enforcement to help lead and shape these endeavors within the community.
United in purpose, we will dismantle the systemic racism all too embedded still within American law enforcement and its justice system. The firing and we hope prosecution of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in this one egregious murder is a necessary step, but it cannot be the only action against structural injustices that have plagued generations and continue to this day. We must forever strive for a free and just society for all people.


A Statement from the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County on the Death of George Floyd
      
We at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are heartbroken and outraged at the heinous and blatant brutality by a white Minneapolis police officer that led to the death of George Floyd, a Black man. Handcuffed and helpless on the ground, he and onlookers pleaded for his life. This is just the latest high profile, sickening example of the disgraceful systemic racial bias, injustice and violence that tragically impacts the Black community across the United States every day.
 
As Jews we know personally and painfully the dangers of unchecked hatred, particularly when it becomes institutionalized within the structures of society. We join all who mourn the loss of Mr. Floyd's life and pray that his memory is for a blessing to his family and all who loved him. We share the grief and fury that others throughout our community feel over this and so many other recent racist-fueled deaths.
 
Judaism is clear about our obligation not to stand idly by in the face of injustice. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "In a free society, only some may be guilty but all are responsible." 
 
As people and a community of conscience, we pledge to our Black brothers and sisters, and all communities of color, to work together sincerely and constructively. Together, we must combat the racism that deprives Black Americans of justice and equal opportunity, and sustain the momentum to prevent the apathy that allows too many to look the other way.
 
We have seen thousands across the country peacefully take to the streets to demand justice. Regretfully, we have seen others resorting to violence and deflecting from the core message. Together we can and must be stronger than hate.
 
In that spirit, we commit ourselves to the biblical call of "Justice, justice shall [we] pursue," and the imperative of achieving a peaceful, just and equal society for all.
 
There must be no room in our society for this hatred, and we will not stand idly by.



This Rosh Hashanah, I gave a sermon: Jews Step Out of Line.  In it, I confronted the anti-Semitism we have felt over these past years, but also how we must stand up for others, especially people of color in our country.  I told the story of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and his relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I hope you find it meaningful during this difficult time, and that it inspires you to 'step out of line'.  


Rosh Hashanah Day 2 - October 1, 2019 - 2nd of Tishrei 5780
Jews Step Out of Line
Rabbi David Baum, Congregation Shaarei Kodesh







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