They say it takes several years, but yesterday I felt like a Memphian. It was a powerful and profound day to be here, to mark the passage of time, to acknowledge our successes and think about the work that has yet to be accomplished.
I want to share two of my experiences yesterday with you. I attended a Service of Remembrance and Reconciliation at Calvary Episcopal Church, and I was struck by the overarching feeling of Fellowship. There were individuals present of all races and religions, all backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Even with the program including a reading particularly for those that identify as African American, there was not a sentiment of “Us” or “Them.” It was a collective moment of “We,” a moment of understanding that every person is an important part of moving our country’s progress forward.
Last night, I was invited to be the Memphis Jewish clergy representative at a Labor Seder organized by the Jewish Labor Movement and attended by national labor leaders from all over the country. Abe and I sat with Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. Randi had come to Memphis on Tuesday straight from Oklahoma City, where she was supporting teachers there on strike, trying to get better wages. I asked Randi what it was like being there, and she said it was amazing to witness the determination and the camaraderie not just of the teachers themselves, but of so many others who supported them. The streets were packed with students, their parents, and many others who simply believe in good public school education. She was struck by the collective.
At the close of the Labor Seder, Tom Perez, Chair of the DNC and former Secretary of Labor, spoke about one of the most important lessons he learned when working for President Obama. President Obama often taught that the most important words in the Constitution were “We The People,” understanding that none of the other principles or ideals we write about can be true if we don’t work together, if we don’t act like one people.
This was the overarching message that I got from yesterday’s events and the message that’s resonating most strongly for me this Pesach. At our seder table on Friday and Saturday evenings, we passed around an empty Elijah’s cup. Everyone poured some of their own wine into that glass, symbolizing the need for everyone to contribute to a better world, the world we pray Elijah will help bring about. I am thankful that so many people have worked together to ensure that yesterday’s April 4th looked very different from April 4th fifty years ago. And I pray that we will continue working together, that the collective, that “We The People,” will work towards that world we hope Elijah will bring, such that April 4th in fifty years will look very different than yesterday’s. Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
