Talk at Rally on Washburn University Campus
May 5, 1992
Rabbi Lawrence P. Karol
I was told that I was asked to speak here today as representative of the local clergy and faith community-yet I am not quite representative of the overwhelming majority of clergy who are pastors, ministers and priests in Topeka because no one calls me father, reverend or pastor. I have been Topeka's only rabbi for 8 years, serving Temple Beth Sholom and a Jewish community that is a nearly invisible but proud religious and ethnic group . I say nearly invisible because our numbers, less than 500 in our area and about 14 million worldwide, make it rare for people to even realize that Topeka has a Jewish community. I say proud because I represent a tradition that few people realize has developed over the last 2000 years into a rich heritage of celebrations that teaches values which many of us prize in our own way.
It was just a coincidence that the Rodney King verdict was handed down last week on the day when Jews around the world were beginning to observe Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, to honor the memory of victims and martyrs of the Holocaust who died at the hands of the Nazis 50 years ago. Some of you may know of the current attempts to deny that the Holocaust even happened--yet it did happen. and in the same way we cannot deny brutality we have seen with our own eyes, including the beating that led to the King case being brought to trial. The response of violence and looting in Los Angeles and other cities was a reflection of the frustration of the African-American and other minority communities in our country. In remembering these days, I would hope that history will focus not on tragic deaths and the beating of a number of people, including a white truck driver, but on the example set by the African-American woman who saved that truck driver and guided him to the hospital. That woman's act of courage and caring in the midst of an inferno of tension grew out of the same motivation for dialogue and reaching out to one another that has brought us together today.
This week, the portion of the Torah, the scroll of Genesis through Deuteronomy, that Jews around the world will read includes the statement in Leviticus Chapter 19, "Love your neighbor as yourself." These words can make a world of difference and a difference in our world if we understand them properly. This fundamental teaching of consideration for all people lies at the root of the religious faith that many of us espouse. This past Monday, I asked the board members of my congregation, Temple Beth Sholom, to define what is meant by love and neighbor in this teaching that is central to the Bible's message. Love, they said, meant respect; concern; cooperation; acceptance of others as they are; and showing love through actions and outward behaviors. Neighbor, they said, meant everyone--from across the street to across the world--including people we know and others we may never meet, but always starting with our own community.
I remember standing with hundreds, maybe thousands of people at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City on the Sunday after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. I was thirteen years old at the time. I felt privileged to be there among people of all backgrounds who had come to pay their respects to a great leader. My rabbi spoke along with clergy of various Christian denominations and other faith groups. Within 48 hours, that beautiful tapestry of unity was torn asunder by the riots that erupted all over the country. It was that same frustration that rose to the surface 24 years ago that we saw last week. There are many explanations for what has caused the racial tensions that have never subsided in our country for its entire 216 years of independence. Part of the answer is in a saying of a Jewish teacher named Shammai who lived 2000 years ago in Judea under the shadow of Roman oppression and tyranny. Shammai said, "Say little and do much.” If our leaders in the White House for the last 12 years as well as other public officials, would have followed these words, we would have seen laws, Supreme Court decisions, and government and community programs that engendered a sense of that all of us are equal as human beings and deserve equal opportunity. Instead, it appears that our presidents, judges and other leaders decided that the best course was "say much and do little." We know that actions speak louder than words--now is a time for positive action to make the vision of a society based on equality, acceptance and understanding a reality.
That vision will not be real until we are certain that all people have adopted the broadest definition of who is their neighbor. That vision will not be real until we are willing to speak to and listen to people from beyond our own class, gender, faith community or ethnic group. That vision will not be real as long as the words "kinder, gentler nation" are only lip service and not the expression of true intention. Some people who experience the worst discrimination may feel that they can rely only on themselves to make that vision real. I believe that this is not a journey to be made alone. Another teacher in Judea of 2000 years ago named Hillel said. "Do not separate yourself from your community." Community begins here and now--with the commitment to keep talking with each other. no matter what our differences might be; to celebrate our diversity and to share with others the best of our heritage; to build bridges. not barriers. so that we can journey towards that cherished vision of equality and understanding and make it real.
As we have joined our hearts and minds today in common cause. may we now unite ourselves in spirit. I delivered these words to the State House of Representatives this morning--and I offer them here with hopes for the better days to come:
“Creator of the Universe, God of all humanity, we know, especially from the events of recent days, that many of our brothers and sisters feel tired and isolated, abandoned and lonely; teach us to be their friends. Many are anxious and afraid-help us to calm their fears. Some are tortured in body and mind; imbue them with courage and strength. Others in their emptiness seek only wealth, fame or power; teach them to value the many other gifts that life can hold for them. Some are drained of faith; they are cynical, bored or despairing; let our confidence and vitality shine forth for them to see the many opportunities around them for personal creativity and human progress. And some live with death in their souls; they are stunned, violent, and filled with hate: Give us the wisdom to save them from the wastelands of the spirit. And teach us to show our love; let our compassion and knowledge flow forth from within us and direct us to seek the welfare, dignity and vigor of everyone. May we join together in our efforts to engender warmth and fellowship throughout the human family so that all may know they are not alone. Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment