For Jews, the summer has been a fearful one with the arson at three synagogues in Sacramento in June, a group of Jews being attacked by Benjamin Smith in Rogers Park on Shabbat evening during the 4th of July weekend and in August, Buford Oneal Furrow delivering his wake up call to America by shooting Jews at the Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, California. Even our own neighborhoods are not immune from disturbing incidents though here it has been limited to spray painting slogans, such as “I hate Jews”.
That Jews are targeted for such crimes is frightening. Some might say that the events of the past summer proved that “it is happening again” or that “it can happen here too.” Yet, we need to put these events in perspective. While we, the Jewish community, must be vigilant, we must acknowledge that these incidents remain the exception rather than the rule in the United States and that our times are very different from the past. In the time of the pogroms, of the crusades, of the concentration camps, it was the government, the state, and the church who undertook and supported such despicable behavior. That is not the case today. This time the church sheltered the children. Neighbors of all faiths rallied in support of those who were injured and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish community in its time of anguish. To me the most powerful pictures of the JCC shootings were those of the local police walking the toddlers to safety; the most awesome knowledge was knowing that the city, county, state, and Federal government were all massively and quickly involved in finding the one who did the shooting. So too in Chicago and so too in the aftermath of the San Francisco synagogue burnings, all the arms of the government went to work, many of the religious communities offered support and Jews and non-Jews gathered together to condemn violence and bigotry. In reality “it” is not happening again.
What is true is that hatred and jealousy, anger and hostility, violence and bigotry are still present. Remember Matt Shepard who was beaten and hung like a scarecrow to die because he was gay? Recall Jimmy Byrd, wrapped in chains and dragged three miles down a country road until he was decapitated because he was black. Benjamin Smith also killed Ricky Birdsong, shot at an Asian couple in their car and killed a Korean student in Bloomington, Indiana simple because they were minorities. After shooting up the JCC, Buford Furrow went killed a postal worker, Joseph Ileto, whose fault was being a Filipino who worked for the Federal government. The examples continue with the day trader in Atlanta who attacked innocent people because his own life was in turmoil and the ever lengthening list of school casualties in which children are shooting their classmates: Pearl High School in Mississippi, Heath High School in Kentucky, Thurston HS in Oregon, Heritage High School in Georgia , an elementary school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and of course Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
It is not antisemitism that I worry about; it is the lack of restraint and respect among many people that dismays me. How is it that our country has, to some extent, lost control of its children, lost its senses, and, in the name of freedom, has lost the ability to set standards of civility, respect, and public virtue that are requirements of a peaceful society? The rest of the world looks on with dismay, just as do most of us, as the richest, most democratic, country in the world, the country that provides the most opportunities for its citizens, is filled with violence and has a murder rate not found in any other developed nation. How can it be that in this land where we excel in so many areas, thirteen children a day are killed by guns!
One answer is that this ongoing streak of violence is the price we as a society have paid for an excessive commitment to self gratification and instant gratification. We have focus on “feeling good” and “doing what I need to do” at the expense of others’ rights and of the safety of the greater community. In schools, value free education makes it increasingly difficult to inculcate moral standards and puts religious teachings into a very precarious predicament. If all that counts is how something affects me, if we believe that all values are relative, that little is absolutely forbidden or wrong, then there become fewer and fewer restraints on individual behavior. Getting around the law becomes a game, cheating the government is what everyone does, winning becomes the most important thing and beating someone else down or up no longer seems so wrong. Where once we thought that God’s teachings ought to be at the center of our lives, now it is feeling good that is the central focal point of our lives. When that is true, others are at great risk.
Being egocentric in such an infantile way leads to a lack of discipline, a weakened capacity to focus on the long term good and diminished skills of dealing with disappointment or failure. Coddled, protected from the results of sloth or apathy, we don’t know how to cope with that which is difficult, with rejection, with losing, with the pains that are part of being alive. And since we spend less and less time in face to face contact with others – instead we reach out increasingly through the computer, without really having much of an emotional connection, not even knowing for sure who we are dealing with – we don’t always master the art of maintaining true social relationships that in days past brought us civility, decency and self-control.
Then there is the constant presence of images of violence. We are inundated with games in which people are killed, television programs and music videos in which violence becomes ever more graphic, and films in which the heroic characters are rough and tough. Fists, knives, bullets all go flying, blood sprays all over. Seeing this so constantly one just might think that this is the way to be an adult, that this is the way to deal with conflicts and problems. Then when people get angry and disappointed they turn to rage, they shout, they explode and grab whatever is handy – too frequently a gun – with which to lash out.
There are two other contributing factors to the outbursts of violence that we have been seeing. One is that as both parents are working and as single parent households become more common, adults are spending more and more hours away from home and children are spending more and more time alone, ever more subject to peer pressure and the influence of the media. When a latch key child despairs, violence is the one action that is guaranteed to get him or her some attention.
And now, as the United States continues to become a more diversified community, containing more ethnic groups, more social stratification, more people moving from place to place, with fewer extended family members in the neighborhood, people feel overlooked, left out, overwhelmed, adrift and unheard. Frustrated and lacking practical means for dealing with those emotions, they become suspicious of others, hateful of those who live differently and resentful of those who flaunt other values and lifestyles. Having seen violence legitimated in many public arenas, from the popularization of professional wrestling to the gruesomeness of television programs, they will turn to violence, with deaths sometimes the consequence.
Is there anything we can do about this? Some want to pass a law requiring that the 10 Commandments be posted in each school room or distribute book covers with the 10 Commandments on them. That is no solution for what is important is not where or how the Ten Commandments are displayed. What is important in that we – each of us – live by the Ten Commandments and the teachings of our faith. We have to post then in our hearts and minds, we have to speak of them, as it is says in the Shema, within our homes and where ever we might be, night and day, so that they become the way we live, the way we educate others and the way we reach out to others.
The first teaching to live by is that each human being is created in the likeness of God and therefore respect and dignity are due every person just as we are to revere and love the Lord. If we look at another human being and see God, and if we demonstrate that attitude in our interpersonal dealings, we will influence those around us to act similarly. Then irrespective of a person’s race or creed or sex or sexual orientation or political outlook or social status we will accept that human being, recognizing that he or she has a right to live secure and safe. That should help us to control our anger and such control is, the rabbis said, “is true strength.”
Secondly, we are taught that those who would be wise should be careful with their words. We must speak of others with more compassion and understanding. It is too easy to slip into telling negative ethnic jokes, to make disparaging comments about those who are different from us, and to carry on conversations that we would not want to be known by others. This only legitimates inappropriate stereotypes, makes us more callous and frees others to be more open in their contempt for those who think or act differently. Being careful with our language will not only “clean up” our own act; it may cause others to be less likely to speak disrespectfully.
I would also suggest that being thoughtful in our language also means to not always talk of ourselves as eternal victims nor blaming others for what goes wrong in our lives. That is a denial of our responsibility for our own lives, a refusal to accept the obligation to change our own behavior. Withstanding the temptation to take on the role of victim, we may find our anger diminished, reality will become more positive and we will have a healthier, less violent, personal life.
And thirdly, our tradition teaches that human beings can change our environment. Because we have free will, because we are able to change our own behavior, and because we are able to learn, we can reshape the atmosphere in which we live. We can do this by loudly condemning bigotry in any form, by demonstrating to all who know us that we will not allow popularity or lack thereof to affect the way we treat others. We will show compassion and respect for those of different appearance, life styles or values, for the unpopular as well as the popular. This means zero tolerance in our own homes, families and work places for discrimination, for harassment or hazing. Attitudes that start to change in those settings may spread and change what is considered acceptable anywhere in the larger community.
As I draw to a close let me address some practical issues. First among these is the issue of guns. True, guns do not kill, it is the people using them who kill. But the ready availability of guns is a curse upon our lives. I won’t ask you to answer, but how many in this sanctuary have guns in their homes? They are a danger to you and to your loved ones. They can be used in anger, they can be fired by accident, they can be used by children. Having guns around legitimizes them and increases the chance that they will be misused. I propose that it be considered a great mitzvah to take your guns to the police department and to encourage others to do the same.
We must treat guns just like cars. As cars
are registered, so should every gun in this country be registered. As drivers
are tested, screened and licensed so should ever
gun owner be tested, screened and license. Laws controlling the sale
and ownership of guns should be strictly enforced and safety devices such
as trigger locks and electronic locks should be a requirement. Assault
weapons must be totally banned for the civilian population. And punishment
for those using guns in the commission of crimes must be increased.
But even more important is the human element. We have to
find the time to spend with family and friends so that we know what is
really going on in their lives. We have to behavior is at odds with his
or her normal actions, and the student, child or friend who seems bereft
of purpose or joy. At Columbine, how was it that Klebold and Harris could
have spent so much time in the garage or on-line without their parents
noticing what they were doing? How was it possible that they could wear
the same black trench coats day after day and their teachers and school
psychologists not realize that something was wrong? How could it
be that everyone knew they were “the misfits, yet no one cold find a way
to draw them into a group or activity?
Let's vow to make a 5% pledge – to spend 5% less time at work and at other activities in order to spend 5% more time with our families, for while quality is necessary so is having a large enough quantity of time together so that within the family relationships can grow and so that in times of stress the family can actually be a support system.
The lesson of this past months should be that each of us must be ready to listen to those around us and really hear them. We have to be prepared to act upon what we hear and see. A warm word, an invitation to join in, a step to draw close can make a powerful difference.
We must overcome the desire to avoid involvement for lack of involvement can be deadly. If someone has lost a job, ignoring their emotional state can lead to violence. When abuse has made life unbearable for a spouse or when harassment occurs, when another has been taunted or reviled, it is our responsibility to speak to them and even for them if they are not able to do so themselves. This brings healing to the one who is at risk while bringing satisfaction to those who act on their behalf as they make a difference in another person’s life.
In the last year of the 1900s, we know that we can not control everything nor can we always prevent disaster, yet we need not become fearful or overly suspicious. We can be aware of our capacity to shape our environment in safer ways. We can extol the virtue of self-control, of sensitivity, and of problem solving in non-violent fashion. We can look positively upon those who are different, seeing them as elements of life that make our world creative and stimulating. In listening and being willing to find a good listener, in providing help and seeking help, we can make a better world and better lives for ourselves.
During the months to come may we be followers
of the High Priest Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving our fellow
human beings and drawing them close. In that way may we all live in peace
and security – in Los Angeles, in Columbine, in Rogers Park and throughout
the world. Amen