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Tragedy In The Heartland
T
he horrifying scene of an armed white
supremacist savagely shooting at
minorities shook the nation over the
Independence Day holiday weekend.
In doing so, it made all Americans think anew
about our freedoms and both their blessings and
consequences.
For Jews, six of whom were wounded walking
home from shul on Friday evening in northern
Chicago, the violence came during a mourning
period that culminates on July 22 for Tisha B'Av,
which itself recalls the destruction of ancient
Israel's two Temples. Ironically, the Second Tem-
ple's demise is directly linked to sinat chinam, or
idle gossip. It also can be loosely translated as
hate speech.
What are we to make of Benjamin Nathaniel
Smith's shooting spree, which took three lives,
including his own, and injured seven others?
Smith, w, ho called himself August because Ben-
jamin sounded too Jewish, belonged to the
World Church of the Creator. It's described as a
growing anti-black, anti-Christian, anti-Jewish
organization based in East Peoria, Ill. Should we
cringe with fear when an unfamiliar car nears on
Shabbat? Should we squelch the right to dissemi-
nate hate? Should we fear that murderous anti-
Semitism lurks around every corner?
Of course not. Ar any given time, someone
can — and has — targeted Jews and other
minorities. No amount of economic prosperity
and education will fully eliminate this possibility.
Every society has a small percentage of dangerous
radicals on the fringe. They must be watched and
monitored, not only by authorities but also track-
ing groups like the Anti-Defamation League.
Family, friends, educators, clergy, the community
at large — we must continually peck away at the
radicals' sense of alienation and barely concealed
rage.
But we must not relinquish the freedom to
speak as desired — as noxious as such words can
be. Indeed, freedom of speech sometimes enables
people to let off steam, avoiding the same
tragedies that occurred last weekend. We need .
not be paranoid, just alert. We need not fear the
world is out to get us; but we should remember
that some people do wish us physical harm. We
can call for more legislation and funding to mon-
itor and punish violators of the law.
Though gripped by fear of a crazed man with
a gun, the Orthodox Jews of Chicago's West
Rogers Park did not delay Shabbat meals or
prayers or services. They found the comfort and
solace they longed for in Torah.
We mourn with the families of those who
were slain for no reason other than hate. We send
our thoughts and prayers to the families of those
who were wounded. And we maintain our stead-
fast guard of our precious freedom of speech,
even when it sadly spurs the activities of those
inspired to senseless violence. ri
Mandatory Lunacy
S
ome lawmakers want the 106th Con-
gress to be the one that brought God
back into public policy. In reality, they
are trivializing the religious values they
claim to hold dear.
Faith, they say, is critical in our national effort
to solve a host of social ills. We couldn't agree
more, but using religious pieties as political
brickbats cheapens religion. And it distracts us
from the tough policy choices needed to tackle a
host of issues, from teen violence to a failing edu-
cation system.
So what did the House of Representatives, in
response to the terrible killings at Columbine
High School in Littleton, Colo., do last week? It
considered a nonbinding measure, sponsored pri-
marily by Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-Idaho), for
a national day of prayer, fasting and "humilia-
tion." Ms. Chenoweth, congressional poster
child of the far right, gained the backing of
much of the House leadership — a scary
thought, given that it was intended to put Con-
gress on record as making specific religious pro-
nouncements. The measure failed only because it
was brought up under "suspension" rules, which
require a two-thirds vote. But it did carry a
majority vote.
Worse, last month the House passed a juve-
nile justice measure chock-full of not necessarily
well-thought-out proposals for dealing with
young criminals. Tossed on the pile was an
amendment to let states display the Ten Com-
mandments in public school classrooms. It will
be vetoed.
So faced with a rising tide of deadly weapons
and a popular culture that inundates children
with images of horrific violence, our congression-
al representatives voted down modest gun-con-
trol language — to the joy of gun groups — and
favored putting the Ten Commandments in
public schools. Of course, the Ten Command-
ments should be in our homes and our hearts,
not on schoolroom walls like so much graffiti.
With the 2000 elections approaching, politi-
cians fr-om both parties want us to know that
religion is the answer to all ails. Even Vice Presi-
dent Al Gore, a champion of church-state separa-
tion in the past, now wants to promote "faith-
based" solutions.
We're all for informing the public policy
debate with our core religious values. But when
religion is transformed into just one more set of
cynical, political cliches, and when politicians use
religious pieties to distract attention from their
failure to seriously address their responsibilities,
people of all faiths should rise up and say, "no
more." Li
IN FOCUS
Karaoke Cabaret
They came to the Jewish Community Center to hear Oak Park
entertainer Martin Sheyer lead karaoke songs from the 1950s
and '60s. Accompanied by pianist Rose Morgan of Southfield,
he sang favorites like "My Yiddishe Mama" in English and Yid-
dish. The JCC's Jimmy Prentis Morris Building in Oak Park
provided the backdrop on June 17.
LETTERS
State Of JCC
Not Wonderful
The state of the Jewish
Community Center is not
wonderful" ("State Of The
JCC," June 25). How can it
be wonderful when the
infant/toddler program at
the Jimmy Prentis Morris
Building has closed? How
can it be wonderful when I
had to say goodbye to the
people who had been caring
for my son for the past 10
months? How can it be
wonderful when there is
money allocated for pro-
gramming, yet it is not
deemed worthwhile to
save the infant/toddler pro-
gram at JPM?
C(
Our family had planned
to be members of the JCC
for a long time. However, as
a result of the closing, we
have canceled our member-
ship indefinitely. We feel
completely alienated and
betrayed by the JCC. This
would never have happened
in West Bloomfield. The
state of the JCC is not
"wonderful."
Ruth Hurwitz
Royal Oak
Honor To Hillary
Is Questioned
As a life member, I want to
add my voice to those who
are repulsed and sickened by
7/9
1999
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Detroit Jewish News