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6 | JUNE 18 • 2020
Editor’
s Note
Healing Ourselves
L
ast week, we published
the phrase “Black Lives
Matter” on the cover
of the Jewish News. I saw the
move as a small, necessary
gesture, the next step in our
community’
s
long journey
toward racial
justice and
understanding.
Many of
our readers
agreed, but
not all. We’
ve
already lost at least two sub-
scribers over our coverage
of the nationwide protests
that have erupted in recent
weeks. Others have sent us
hostile comments accusing
Black Lives Matter of being
an anti-Semitic movement.
(There have been some honest
questions about the roots of
this, too, which I will address
further down.)
As it happens, shortly
before the protests began,
some JN subscribers tar-
geted black staffers here at
Renaissance Media with racist
calls and harassment. I don’
t
want to repeat what was said
to my colleagues, but it makes
me sick.
We have heard a lot over
the last few weeks about the
need to identify and address
racism and prejudice within
our own communities (see a
related story, page 33). Well,
the Jewish community is
not immune to this. We, of
course, wrestle with our own
widespread intergeneration-
al trauma, but that doesn’
t
excuse us from doing the hard
work of recognizing when we
may be, consciously or uncon-
sciously, expressing bigotry of
our own toward other groups.
It is far past time for us to
reckon with such realities.
One of the best things we
can do, in this moment, is
to talk to friends, family and
loved ones who are expressing
these kinds of views, and help
each other not only recognize
that such beliefs are wrong,
but also try to work together
to overcome them.
So, I’
ll start here, by
clearing up this one thing.
Why are some calling Black
Lives Matter anti-Semitic? It
dates back to a 2016 charter
from an affiliated organiza-
tion named the Movement
for Black Lives, which had
expressed solidarity with
Palestinians and used words
like “genocide” and “apart-
heid” to describe the Israeli
government. The language
was roundly criticized by
many Jewish groups at the
time, and the group’
s current
charter doesn’
t mention Israel.
Regardless, the “Black Lives
Matter” slogan itself has taken
on a life of its own, and stands
for something much larger
than one political movement
today. It is a statement of raw
power, purpose and intent.
We can affirm its truth, and
the underlying problems of
American systemic racism
the phrase points to, without
qualification.
And American Jews should,
in fact, be wary of sitting out
this moment, due to Israel
or any other reason. Because
seeking justice doesn’
t just
help the black community. It
helps us, too.
Are you having these difficult con-
versations about race with people
you love right now? Write to
alapin@thejewishnews.com and let
us know how those talks are going.
Andrew Lapin
letters
Unfortunate Omission
I was very disappointed by
the omission of Congregation
B’
nai Moshe in the recent
article about synagogues
offering more than prayer
during the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
Congregation B’
nai Moshe
has hosted a zoom daily min-
yan from the very beginning
of the pandemic. We held a
virtual family game night and
Rabbi Shalom Kantor streams
weekly drash on the Torah
portion via Facebook.
We have amazing speakers
scheduled in both July and
August and will be featuring
Cantor Zachary Mondrow for
a virtual concert in August.
We have had participation
in our streaming events from
multiple states and countries
and we will continue to pro-
vide both ritual and social
virtual outlets during the
pandemic.
Steven Fine
Congregation B’
nai Moshe
Service for Israel
Sar-El stands for the program
called “Service for Israel.”
Prior to the pandemic,
several of us, from Detroit,
New York, Washington and
other cities, along with other
groups from other countries,
came back from spending
weekdays working for the
IDF, helping out with little
jobs like … Well, this is what
I did, mostly: loading and
unloading shipping pallets
for the Air Force, issuing the
paratroopers’
helmets, web-
bing (“turtles”), knee-pads
and fatigues, and packing up
and putting away their tents
and tent poles.
We ate in the Army’
s mess
halls, wore their fatigues and
slept in the barracks. We
started each day with a flag
raising and “Hatikva.” At
night we’
d learn from the sol-
diers and from speakers they
brought in. I worked out in
the gym with the paratroop-
ers and their teachers and
davened — prayed — in the
base synagogues.
I can’
t say enough good
about Sar-El and Volunteers
for Israel. Lots of volunteers
keep coming back to it.
Working, eating, and
learning with people, sleeping
in the same barracks — good
friendships form here, not
just with your fellow volun-
teers but even with soldiers.
Some of them — volunteers
and soldiers both — have the
COURTESY OF MICHAEL DALLEN
b
Michael
Dallen in
Israel
continued on page 10