"It is a tree of life to all who hold fast to it; its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace." – The Torah
The Grizzly Giant, a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Michael Dubno - Oct 2018
I am in Yosemite National Park, overwhelmed by the grandeur, the history, and the beauty here… and devastated by the latest acts of violence and hate in our country. In just the last week, pipe bombs were sent to Trump critics; a white man, having tried and failed to enter a predominantly African American church in Louisville, murdered two black customers in a Kroger grocery store while remarking to a white bystander that “whites don’t shoot whites”; and a man shouting “All Jews must die!” opened fire and killed 11 congregants who were celebrating the birth of a child at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
I recently wrote about the importance of electoral action all the way through November 6, and how the Sierra Club and its entire Board of Directors are engaging. For the opening, I used a photo of a message in the window of the Manhattan Jewish Community Center (JCC), where I am a member. That quote from Dolores Huerta, “The only way a democracy can work is if people participate” feels even more important today.
Message in the window of the Manhattan Jewish Community Center. Photo by Loren Blackford - Oct 2018
Last fall I took a picture of that same JCC window, which at the time was displaying a message from Elie Wiesel, saying, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor. Never the victim.” Too few Republicans are stepping forward to take the side of the victims of racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and violence. GOP politicians and pundits would have us believe in the myth of the "lone wolf" shooter or bomber, when in fact they are fanning the flames with their ugly rhetoric and whipping the conservative base into a frenzy with hysterical claims about the “caravan” of immigrants, crazy conspiracy theories about Democrats orchestrating the mailing of the pipe bombs, and blaming Jewish donors for being behind these conspiracies.
At the same time, the administration is militarizing the border with Mexico, adding to the atmosphere of fear and violence. A few high-profile Republicans have decided enough is enough and publicly repudiated the ugly, mean-spirited rhetoric of the GOP under Trump. But too many stand silently by, glad that their party is in power and can appoint judges like Brett Kavanaugh to serve for life.
Manhattan Jewish Community Center window. Photo by Loren Blackford - Sept 2017
It is tempting to respond to hate with hate. However, we would do well to heed the Proverb that is the namesake for the site of our nation’s most recent tragedy:
It is a tree of life to all who hold fast to it; its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace. – The Torah
Martin Luther King, Rep. John Lewis, and other leaders have shown us how powerfully we can fight while still following the path of peace. The first step on that path is electoral. Republicans who are stoking the flames of hatred and violence, and those who stand silently by, must be held accountable on November 6. Beyond that, each of us, both individually and in our organizations, congregations, and communities, must find our way along paths of peace. This means standing with the victims of oppression, violence and injustice… and defending our democracy, which protects us all.
Over 125 years ago, John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club fought to protect Yosemite, which an Orthodox friend of mine refers to as, “Where God comes to vacation.” Muir and the Sierra Club later helped create the National Park Service to protect Yosemite and other precious places from abuse and exploitation by commercial interests and to try to ensure that everyone had access. Since that time, the Sierra Club has increasingly placed equity, justice, and inclusion at the heart of our environmental work, even when that entails taking a deep look in the mirror.
As I wrote in my last blog post, the Sierra Club is working hard to elect politicians who share our environmental and equity values. In this way, we seek to not only protect special places like Yosemite and residents like the Giant Sequoia, many of which have lived in Yosemite since the time of Cleopatra, but also to make sure that all communities have access to nature, to clean air and water, and to basic safety and justice.
So, as the setting sun turns the face of Half Dome pink, I mourn for the Tree of Life congregants and others who have lost their lives to this recent convulsion of violence. In the presence of these granite cliffs and the old, old trees, I think about the long arc of the moral universe and pray that it does indeed bend toward justice… with a bit of help from all of us.
Sunset on the face of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park. Photo by Loren Blackford – Oct 2018
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, issued a statement on behalf of the organization that carries with it a powerful message about confronting hate and violence with hope and action, and giving us practical, concrete steps we can all take.
“We are deeply saddened by the sickening, hate-fueled violence in Pittsburgh today, and are in solidarity with the Jewish community and all those who have had their lives touched by this despicable act of terrorism. This anti-Semitic act is sadly just the latest attack that has targeted people in this country based on their race, their identity, or their religion, all while many elected officials and public figures, from the White House and beyond, have promoted and condoned hateful, divisive rhetoric and actions. There is no place for this violence and hatred. We join communities and our partners and allies across the country in sorrow for the victims of this attack as we commit to equity and justice for all people.”
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We honor and remember:
Krogers (Kentucky)
Maurice Stallard
Vickie Jones
The Tree of Life Synagogue (Pittsburgh)
David Rosenthal
Cecil Rosenthal
Richard Gottfried
Jerry Rabinowitz
Irving Younger
Daniel Stein
Joyce Fienberg
Bernice Simon
Sylvan Simon
Melvin Wax
Rose Mallinger