Last Night at the Synagogue

  There was a special service last night at my synagogue Temple Beth-Hillel Beth-El in reaction to the swastika.  I was expecting a large turnout, but I was overwhelmed by the number of people who attended.  Our main sanctuary was filled to capacity.  The auditorium that connects to it was so filled that people were sitting up on the stage and standing on the side.  I recognized many members of our congregation.  The majority of the people I did not know.  They came from other synagogues, churches and mosques.  

The Rev. Dr. Adam Hearlson of the Overbrook Presbyterian Church was one of the speakers.  The church was damaged by a fire in January and our synagogue was one of the many that offered space for the church to use.  Rev. Hearlson began by telling us that he and a number of Christian clergy and academics went to Israel to meet with Israeli clergy and academics.  He was surprised that the first topic was kashrut, how to keep kosher.

They were asked a question.  A person is cooking a delicious meat stew and some milk accidentally falls into it.  What is to be done?  He admitted that he and his fellow Christians knew very little about the intricacies of Kashrut and they said they did not know what to do with the stew.  They were told there were two points of view.  The first is the rule of ratio--if the milk is less than 1/60th of the volume of the stew, it is permissible.  The second is to take the stew to a non-Jewish neighbor and ask them to taste it.  If the milk is tasted, the stew is no longer kosher.

He said that very few people used the second method because there were no Christians willing to taste it.  He lamented that for too long, Christians had a bad track record in their treatment of Jews and this had been passed down for centuries.  He promised us that it stops with him.  It was a humorous and inspiring talk that received a standing ovation.  It is a sign of hope that is sorely needed.

Jean Paul Satre, in his book Anti-Semite and Jew intimated that it is anti-Semitism that is keeping Jews Jewish.  Martin Luther expressed the same sentiments.  The horrific treatment of the Jews by the Catholic Church was driving Jews away from Christianity.  If the Church was welcoming, Jews would convert.  There is a part of me that thinks that may be right.  It took an act of anti-Semitism to bring more people into the synagogue that even come on Yom Kippur.  It is sad in a way that outside hatred brought us together.  I disagree with both Satre and Luther.  America has been a haven for Jews, more than any other country in history.  If Jews were going to assimilate, it would be very easy in America.  Many Jews have.  But the attendance last night told me that we are Jews by choice.  

The rabbi told us that in last week's Torah reading, there are the instructions for the candelabrum that must remain lit.  With no Temple, each synagogue has a Ner Tamid, and eternal candle.  That light symbolizes the fire inside each Jew.  It is our duty never to let that fire go out.  It burns hotter during times of hatred.  I am afraid that as long as there are Jews, there will be anti-Semites.  Yesterday I discussed the idea of protest.  Last night was not a protest.  It was a statement of resolve.  We cannot put an end to anti-Semitism and I am sure that last night's outpouring of people did not convince the perpetrator that what that person did was wrong.  Our answer is that there is strength in our community and that we support each other in turbulent times.  The hope is, that even in times of calm, it will continue to glow.