Reflections: Rabbi Susan Abramson, Temple Shalom Emeth

Submitted by Rabbi Susan Abramson of Temple Shalom Emeth

Behind every cloud is a silver lining. This has never been more true for me since the spate of anti-Semitic incidents began last year in our town and at our temple, Temple Shalom Emeth in Burlington MA. Whatever the misguided motives the individuals involved may have had for their actions, the result for me has been  a process of discovery and relationship which has lifted my spirits, those of my congregation and hopefully those of the other Jews who live in Bedford.

Since last year, so many people have reached out to support the Jewish community of Bedford as well as members of my temple. Never in my life did I imagine that I would ever know, let alone have  in my living room, the Middlesex District Attorney and the Chief of Police, together with temple Bedford residents, asking what they could do to support them. It has been so gratifying to partner with our amazing Superintendant, Jon Sills, and watch all of the ways in which he has helped our town come together to embrace diversity. BHS principal Henry Turner has been a wonderful partner in not only responding to incidents but in helping the high school move forward in the best possible way. Chief Bongiorno could not possibly have been more responsive to these incidents.  We are all truly blessed to have him as our chief of police and it is my pleasure to continue to work with him on these issues. Having the two of them, along with so many town officials, including our State Representative Ken Gordon and BHS principal Henry Turner, attend our temple’s Holocaust Memorial Service last spring made the occasion one which members of my temple will remember for many years to come. Being part of the new Bedford Embraces Diversity Committee has been a wonderful way to continue meeting more town residents to continue this important work.

Another silver lining has been the response of town clergy and how they have each personally and as a group responded to these incidents. Last spring our interfaith clergy council quickly created the Love Your Neighbor Bedford Embraces Diversity campaign and produced posters as well as bumper stickers and bracelets. Though many in the group were new to town and barely knew each other, we rapidly bonded together to strategize ways to address the assaults and help make our town a more welcoming place.

One culmination of these efforts was an amazing event which took place at our temple this past Monday. St. Paul’s Episcopal church, under the impressive direction of The Reverend Chris Wendell (I just learned that the correct title is The Reverend!) had taken it upon themselves to watch the five part PBS series The Story of the Jews by Simon Schama, in order to learn more about the Jewish faith. On Monday, members of St. Paul’s came to Temple Shalom Emeth for an evening of dialogue. (Click here to read Rev. Wendell’s reflection.) Over 40 people sat around tables in our social hall and talked about their respective faiths. Members of my Confirmation class (Grades 8-10) then stood before the group and each talked about what they would like someone who was not Jewish to know about their faith and heritage. They talked openly about the challenges of being among the only Jews in the towns in which they live, and what it feels like when others make jokes about Jews or don’t understand their holidays or act surprised when they find out they are Jewish.

The conversation then continued with many questions and answers, including members of St. Paul’s sharing what they would like us to know about their Christian faith. The evening culminated with the group reconvening in our sanctuary, where my confirmands (who chose to stay an hour after class was over!) gave the group a tour, showed them  our prayer book, sang prayers in Hebrew and took out the Torah which our cantorial soloist then chanted. The kids were so proud to be sharing their faith. It was clear that our guests from St. Paul’s were grateful for the opportunity to see our faith in action, particularly from teenagers who were so enthusiastic and excited to be sharing their feelings about being Jewish.

We are now planning to invite the St. Paul community to join us for a special Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner at our temple so they can further experience our rituals and practices. They are working out a plan to reciprocate and invite us to their church.

I feel blessed to have so many new friends and to know that so many members of our town share the values of love and respect for all people. On November 9th at 7pm at First Parish, when we commemorate Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, the prelude to the Holocaust, I will also be remembering similar incidents which occurred in France and elsewhere in Europe this summer, when people broke the store windows of Jewish-owned shops and threw rocks at synagogues. But despite the chill in the air, I will be warmed by glow of so many new friendships and reassured by the brightness of the good will which shines in our town.

Editor’s Note: Look for a companion reflection from Rev. Chris Wendell, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in The Bedford Citizen next week