Dear Friends,
I know so many of you are heartbroken by the terrible events in Dallas and throughout our country this week.
I spent a few hours crafting a heartfelt response, linking Elie Wiesel's passing and wondering how we can channel his energy and passion into building the society we need where all are free to live in peace.
Sadly, a computer fluke caused what I wrote to disappear into cyberwebs, never to be found again.
I don't have time before Shabbat to put it all back together.
Let me reconstruct just a few thoughts from what i wrote before.
I had the pleasure of meeting Elie Wiesel on a few occasions in college. I don't honestly remember what he said - it was a four-part lecture series on biblical personalities, if i remember correctly - I only remember the passion and conviction he had for the idea that God was calling us to be prophets, to cast aside hatred and bigotry, and that violence towards anyone of any kind was morally and theologically unacceptable.
Wiesel was a giant of Jewish life. The world was a better place for him being in it.
I know that a few years ago, Wiesel called for a national march on Washington to implore congress to address gun violence. We know that not much has changed in the intervening years - too many people killed in senseless violence. And we know the reasons why. Some claim that we don't know why this happens, though i have no patience for those who say we need to study the issue more. Our tradition is clear - saving a life is considered the highest mitzvah one can do, and we are under obligation to do all that we can, regardless of whether the lives being saved are Jewish or not. (A colleague of mine wondered out loud on facebook what would happen if instead of African-American men being killed it were Jewish men. We all know the Jewish community wouldn't stand for it and change would happen. So why is the Jewish community relatively silent when it's not our being killed? What happened to "never again"?)
I've been thinking about Wiesel a lot this week. I was in Rochester, NY going through my grandmother's house and helping my family clear it out (she just moved to assisted living). I was grateful to discover some of Wiesel's works on the bookshelf. They are now at my home and I will treasure them.
What would Wiesel want from us now?
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." "Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another."
I want to live in the world Elie Wiesel was trying to create. I want to live in a world where all can live in peace and harmony, where no one has to live in fear of their safety and security. In such a world all are responsible for one another, working for the betterment of all mankind.
Parts of that world already exist and yet, there is still so much to be done.
May we all be blessed with a piece of Elie's clarity and his courage to speak truth to power, even when it is difficult to do so (and even when we are the power that needs to change). May his memory, and the memory of all who died in tragic violence this week, be for a blessing. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ilan
PS Please note that Geo and I will both be away this coming week. We'll be attending ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal's Kallah, a big summer festival of Jewish life and learning that happens every few years. Penina, Rose, and Cheryl will be in the office this week. Geo and I will be unavailable for any and all Beth Sholom concerns except in case of emergency. If you need to reach us on an urgent pastoral matter, please call me on the pastoral line at 901-800-9636. I'll do what I can to respond as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you all when we return!
