Rabbi Weinblatt organized a national effort endorsed by 18 major
national Jewish organizations to show support for the African American community
and to express abhorrence of the horrific act of violence in Charleston, SC. Below
is the sermon he gave this past Sunday at the People’s Baptist Church in Silver
Spring, MD.
Speech at People’s Baptist Community Church
I am here this morning as an American.
I am here as a Jew, and I am here as a rabbi.
Rabbis around the country spoke in synagogues this
Sabbath to express solidarity with the African American community. In my synagogue we read the names of the nine
killed in Charleston when we said the prayer at the end of our service honoring
those who have passed, and we stood as one in their honor. And just as there
are members of the Jewish faith who are attending black churches today to show
support and solidarity in light of the tragedy in Charleston, I am here to
bring a simple message:
You are not alone.
We feel your loss.
Your pain is our pain.
The Bible teaches us: Thou shalt not stand idly by the blood of
your neighbor.
The Bible teaches:
That we are all God’s children, for we are all created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God,
and that we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord.
The Bible teaches:
To never forget that we were once strangers in the land of Egypt.
So that is why I stand here today, because of the
powerful imperative of Jewish tradition to plead the cause of the orphan, the
stranger and the widow and because we are commanded to love our neighbors.
Unfortunately, there are too many things our people
share in common. Throughout history,
Jews were killed because they were different, because they taught and practiced
the word of God. When I heard that
people were gunned down in a church while studying words of God, just because
they were black I was outraged, and knew that we had to do something. And my sons who were with me on a trip encouraged
me to organize this national response.
I couldn’t help but recall similar incidents that
have happened to Jews. Just this past
November hate-filled terrorists entered a synagogue in Romema, Israel and
brutally butchered people. Just as in
2008 an Arab terrorist entered a Yeshivah, a holy place of study in Jerusalem,
and filled with hatred for Jews methodically killed eight students who, just
like the victims in Charleston, were studying words of God.
Yes, our experiences are similar. Our history is so much like your
history. Our stories are
intertwined.
And that is why Jews have always been in the
forefront of the civil rights movement.
It is why Jews were so actively involved in desegregation and marched
with Martin Luther King to shatter the shackles of injustice.
I will never forget the time I was arrested for
demonstrating for freedom for the Jews behind the Iron Curtain in Soviet Russia
about 25 years ago. After a long day in
jail, just before we stood before the judge as we were about to be released, a
black sheriff ushered us into the courtroom.
Quietly he said to us, “As an officer of the court I have to be
officially neutral, but I want you to know I am on your side. I will never forget all your people have done
for my people. ”
And so that is why I am here today – because I want
you to know – I, and the whole Jewish community are with you and on your side.
As a young boy, I learned early on that our fates
are intertwined – which is why I cherish this famous photo of the 1963 March
on Washington. If you look closely at
the picture, you will see that there is a man in a white shirt right behind Dr.
King. That man was Sam Weinblatt, my
father. So I learned at a young age that
your cause is our cause.
One summer I worked as a teenager in a factory in
Baltimore. An elderly black gentleman,
Mr. Gray, took me under his wings. I
would always take my breaks with him. I would listen to his words of wisdom as
he smoked a cigarette and I drank a coke.
One day, as we were sitting in the lunch room, a
guy who was hired as a day worker started spewing hate and saying all kinds of
terrible things about Jews. I didn’t
know what to say or do. Mr. Gray gently
but his hand on my arm, letting me know I should stay quiet. Later when we went outside during our break
he said to me, “You know if I wasn’t in the room, he would have been saying
terrible things not just about Jews, but about black folks also.”
It is no coincidence that the man (I’m not even
going to say his name) who shot people in Charleston wrote how much he hates
Jews as well as blacks.
But what that man could not anticipate was that
acts of hatred would be met with a response of love and forgiveness. What that
man could not fathom was that his act of hatred would bring about an outpouring
of mercy and compassion. What he didn’t
know is that love is stronger and more powerful than hate.
So let us commit ourselves to work together in the
name of the nine innocent people who were murdered in Charleston against racial
injustice, against intolerance -- acts that we call Hillul HaShem, which desecrate the name of God.
The Bible commands us – Tzedek, tzedek tirdof:
Justice, justice shall you pursue.
Let us continue to walk the path together to pursue justice and to walk
in the way of the Lord.
We pray that this country shall live under the
Providence of the Almighty God, and that it will be an influence for good
throughout the world. United by the spirit of God and inspired by the teachings
of Heaven we pray that citizens of all races and creeds shall forge a common
bond to banish all hatred and bigotry.
May all who live on earth realize we have not come into being to hate or
destroy, but to love. May the powerful
words of the prophet come to pass – that love and justice shall flow like a
mighty stream.
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