April 2019

Rabbi's message
​In August, White Supremacists marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, passing the synagogue with their swastika banners while shouting, “The Jews will never replace us”. On a quiet Shabbos in October, a gunman walked in into the Etz Chaim Synagogue in Pittsburgh and opened fire on the worshippers, killing 11 while shouting “Jews must die!” The Women’s March scheduled for January 19 was supposed to demonstrate the power of women’s demand for equality and protest the harassment and intimidation of women. It was however marred by a controversy around Anti-Semitism on the part of some of its leaders. Over the past few months, newly elected member of Congress Ilhan Omar has used her seat to raise the issue of the loyalty of American Jews to the United States; she has stated that American Jews have used their “Benjamins”, i.e. their financial power, to induce the US Government into taking pro-Israel positions which are neither moral nor in the best interest of the Unites States. Congressional attempts to censure her and condemn anti-Semitism were met with determined resistance. A resolution proposed to condemn anti-Semitism encountered strong opposition and was changed to a resolution condemning many kinds of hate and prejudice. Ilhan, rather than being shamed by her display of bigotry, is regarded as a hero fighting the good fight by many. All of this sends us a message. Something has changed. The Anti-Semitism we thought was trivial has returned in a powerful way. I suspect that this is only the beginning. This year is not like all other years. This year we are being called upon to stand up for Jewish pride and dignity. We must proudly fight those who defame us, especially in the political system. We must not hide and instead must loudly proclaim our pride in our identity, our faith and the state of Israel. We must oppose all those who, after our long commitment to equality and social justice, seek to marginalize us and silence our voices. There are many ways to do this. One is the Interfaith committee we have organized at the Temple together with “Communities United for Respect and Trust” to come up with strategies to fight anti-Semitism. We will announce the date of the group’s next meeting soon, and I hope you can be there and help with the task. With the arrival of Passover, we remember our Exodus from Egypt and those who wanted to take away our freedom. We pray that the plans and schemes of all of those who seek to do us ill come to naught and that our lives be filled with joyful celebration. Rabbi Gerald Sussman