Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Cantor Jamie Gloth
Melissa Rudman, Executive Director 
Arlene Bryer, President

Words of Appreciation

June 14, 2020 | 22 Sivan 5780
Dear Friends,

I hope that you were able to be among us on Thursday evening to hear JCRC’s Deputy Director,  Nahma Nadich,  speak about how the organized Jewish community interacts with communities of color in the Greater Boston area, and what specifically is happening now, in the wake of the death of George Floyd -- which has provoked widespread outrage and inspired much commitment for change throughout America. (If you missed it, you can watch the video file here. Password is @nadich61120 . )

As the days go by; as the attack, the protests, the riots, and the police responses recede in our memories; as things go back to normal, let’s not lose sight of our ultimate goals: freedom, justice and equality for all. We may have thought that our nation had achieved these already, long ago. We may have imagined that occasional, sporadic paroxysms of violence were exceptions to the norm. On the contrary, the events of the past few weeks should have made clear that there are deep, systemic issues that our society must confront in order to “form a more perfect union”; and that we ignore these issues at our peril.

What can we do? Becoming better informed is a great way to start. Learning more than we know now is bound to help us respond intelligently and helpfully. Let me suggest three ways to go about doing that.

1.  Sign up to be on the email distribution list of the JCRC.  To do so, click here . Yes, I know: “I get too many emails already.” That may be so, but the pursuit of justice remains urgent, no matter how busy we are. Get on the mailing list; become informed; and play a constructive role as a Jew in addressing society’s ills. 

2.  Summer is coming.  How about reading a few books to better understand racial injustice? The following were recommended by Rabbi Amy Katz, a friend and colleague in Springfield, MA:
 
  • How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
  • Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
  • Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
  • Between the World and Me by Ta Nehisi Coates 
  • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

3. Finally, I encourage you to read this piece that Nahma Nadich wrote last year. It’s a reminder that, though the experience of African Americans in this country is certainly different from that of Jews, being Jewish gives us good preparation to understand their struggle.

These may seem like “baby steps.” So be it. It’s better to take baby steps than to stand still. 

Shalom u’vrachah

Rabbi Carl M. Perkins