Friday Message
1/22/2010

As Rabbi Susan Talve pointed out in her remarks at the close of the Jewish Community's Commemoration of Martin Luther King this past Wednesday at the Covenant House, "It's interesting that this 'season' always occurs at a time when we read those passages in the Torah about the Exodus of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery."  As Rabbi Talve continued to point out, this coincidence underscores the roots of common experience that Jews have with Black Americans in facing the brunt of prejudice and social abuse from a surrounding population.
   
While Jews have faced prejudice in the United States, the true parallel can be drawn between the Jewish experience in most of the countries of Europe and eastwards to include Poland and Russia.  The attitudes of many Europeans demonstrated the same degree of fear and hatred towards Jews as significant numbers of individuals in this country who try to portray People of Color as less than human.  The Nazi racial agenda showed as much disdain for them as it did for Jews and while the full brunt of Nazi destructive cruelty was unleashed against the Jews; the reason had to do with the degree of perceived power and the number of Jews who lived in Europe at the time in contrast to the number of Blacks.  We can only speculate how the Nazi program would have shifted had these numbers been reversed.  There was little value shown on the part of National Socialists for non-Aryan human life regardless.
    
So, beyond the Jewish concern for the welfare of society's oppressed and underprivileged which I mentioned in last week's message, there is a deeper bond for Jews in the United States to seek the welfare of their Black brothers and sisters; a bond based in common experience.

As many of you are aware, while I was born in the States, I grew up Durban, South Africa. For a good deal of those years I lived in a society deeply divided by racial class.  "Non-Europeans" - as the non-whites were called - had their movements monitored and restricted through "passbook" laws. Every "non-European" was required to have this book, issued through a local government agency, accessible at all times if they were in an area deemed "white".  Any police officer could demand them to produce it and the book would have to show signed evidence of current employment as well as other residency requirements.  An individual could be jailed for violation of these laws.  This is only one example of the way in which black Africans were made to feel inferior to others around them.  It really never was a situation of "separate, but equal." 
   
There was a running joke at the time that owing to the trade agreements between South Africa and Japan, Japanese were classified as "Europeans" while Chinese were considered "non-Europeans"!
  
If you're seeing all this as "ridiculous", you might well ponder the question as to how "ridiculous" such racial discrimination is in its very nature.  The truth is that treating other human beings in this way is nothing short of tragic.  It actually demeans any claim a person might make to belief in a Divine Creator who created every human "in His own image and likeness."

We sadly mention the recent passing of Dr. Melvin A. Allen.  He is survived by his wife Marion and members of his immediate family.  While they have lived in Texas for the last four or five years, their roots are deeply embedded in our congregation.  The service is scheduled for this coming Sunday morning January 24th at 10:00 a.m. in the Zorensky Chapel with interment at B'nai Amoona Cemetery.  Our sincere sympathy to everyone who mourns Dr. Allen's loss.

May this Shabbat bring hope and a deeper purpose to your life.

With best regards,

Rabbi Mordecai Miller