A message from Rabbi Daniel Weiner to the congregation on May 27, 2020:
On July 4th, 1852, the eminent African American statesman, Frederick Douglass, was invited to offer an address marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He used this bully pulpit to excoriate the disconnect between the experience of American blacks and the exalting of American ideals:
“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim…a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour.“
Despite the moral evolution of our nation reflected in historic Civil Rights legislation, and the growing enlightenment of collective consciousness, the toxic and stubborn durability of racism, and the bilious hatred and violence it stokes, continue to endanger our brothers and sisters in the African American community, undermining their right to realize the promise of this nation, ensuring “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The tragic and senseless death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a horror gruesomely documented on video in unsparing but necessary detail, is an indelible stain on our national character, an enduring shame shared by us all, and a troubling glimpse of the darker image reflected in the mirror of our national conscience.
And yet, this is not an anomaly, but a continuation of a growing cancer on our body politic. While the challenge to change hearts and minds may seem insurmountable, we are inspired by the words of our tradition: “It is not yours to finish the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Especially as Jews well tutored in the sting of prejudice and long suffering of the violence it spawns, we are commanded to stand up, to speak out, and to heal a world in dire need of repair.
For those of us who have friends and colleagues in the African American community, the simple yet powerful gesture of reaching out with words of awareness, understanding and support is significant. But as we arise from tears of pain and loss, and as we join in a chorus of anger and contempt for the seemingly static status quo, we must redouble our commitment to act for needed change.
As a congregation, we will continue to reach out, listen to, and work with our Black neighbors in the Central District and beyond, responding to efforts that they view as effective, and exerting the considerable political influence we wield to impact public policy. And even more importantly, we will cultivate our growing relationship with First AME and other local churches, to build loving bonds of trust, to better understand the causes of structural racism of which these murders are but a symptom, and to redouble our efforts to bring justice and equity to our community.
As we embrace the Festival of Shavuot this evening, celebrating our recommitment to the values of Torah as revealed by a loving and patient God, let us bind our ideals to our words, our words to our deeds, and God’s vision for a better world to our capacity to make it real.
Rabbi Daniel Weiner