August 15th, 2017 23rd Av, 5777 To the Beth Sholom Community, The past few days have been a painful reminder of what hate can accomplish in the world. We collectively mourn the loss of Heather Heyer, a woman who stood up to anti-Semitism and bigotr
August 15th, 2017 23rd Av, 5777 To the Beth Sholom Community, The past few days have been a painful reminder of what hate can accomplish in the world. We collectively mourn the loss of Heather Heyer, a woman who stood up to anti-Semitism and bigotr
August 15th, 2017 23rd Av, 5777
To the Beth Sholom Community,
The past few days have been a painful reminder of what hate can accomplish in the world. We collectively mourn the loss of Heather Heyer, a woman who stood up to anti-Semitism and bigotry. We mourn the loss of Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper Berke M. M. Bates of the Virginia State Police, who were both working on Saturday in Charlottesville. And we mourn an ideology of hatred and discrimination that feels ever more present on our streets.
There are those in our country who feel emboldened to hate, those who discriminate based on skin color and belief system. This is not who we are and it is not who we will be. White supremacy and anti-Semitism must be condemned, and all forms of racism must not be tolerated. Combatting this type of hatred is not easy; it requires diligent work and activism that is rooted in love for humanity and a shared vision of what we can be when we reinforce the dignity of all people.
The Torah teaches us about the nation of Amalek, who attacked the Israelites from behind just after the Exodus from Egypt. They targeted and attacked the vulnerable ones. We are taught, in response, that we must always remember the nation of Amalek and what they did, and that we must also blot out their memory and their message. Amalek has come to be a metaphor for evil, and the teaching regarding Amalek has never felt more relevant. We must remember that there are those who who seek to do evil to us and to other minorities. We must remember that there are groups united solely by hate that march through the streets chanting “Jews will not replace us.” We cannot forget the existence of these groups. We must work to blot out their message and what they stand for.
We will blot out their message through love, through activism, through coming together and lifting each other up. We will blot it out by calling out hatred, racism, and anti-Semitism when we see it, and we will blot it out when we call upon our elected officials to do so, as well. The bigots who gathered in Charlottesville on Shabbat were far outnumbered by the protestors, those who wish to stamp out their message. Let’s continue to outnumber hate. Let’s work together to spread a message of love, of embrace, and of tolerance.
