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“Responding to Tragedy”
Sadness, hope, mourning, prayer, anger, compassion and innumerable other feelings fill all of us as I write these words. Our nation is in mourning, yet anxiously awaiting word of more survivors rescued in the wreckage that stood only a few days ago as the proud symbols of our nations wealth, strength and freedom. The date of September 11, 2001 is indelibly etched in our memories, and our lives will never be the same.
As you read these words, weeks have passed since the senseless and tragic terrorist attacks took place. I cannot imagine today what will have transpired in these intervening weeks, but my thoughts and prayers turn with anxious hope to the victims, their families, the rescue workers, and to an entire nation, indeed, an entire world shaken to its foundation by the blasts. May we find peace and peace of mind in the midst of this chaos.
My first draft of this article focused on the recent vandalism attacks upon our Temple and Shalom Park. We were awakened early Saturday morning, August 25 to the deeply troubling news that the Temple had been vandalized during the night. The black spray paint which covered the entrance side of our building, sidewalks and driveway spoke powerfully in profanity and prejudice. The vulgar words were insulting to Jews, as well as in support of the P.L.O and the Palestinian cause. After attacking our building, the vandals apparently continued on their rampage through Shalom Park, also defacing several vans belonging to the Jewish Community Center, and some signs and walls at Temple Israel.
We were touched by the generosity, concern and solidarity we were shown by those surrounding us in this city and region. In response, we decided to erect a “Wall of Shalom,” and invite all who wished to do so to join us in its inauguration. We would gather in solidarity against hatred, and demonstrate that paint can be used to create, not just to destroy.
Yet this powerful event in our local community, which has nearly faded into our memories, seems almost trivial in the face of the events of September 11 and the ensuing days and weeks. Almost trivial, but not completely. For the very same spirit we experienced in the microcosm of our crisis here in Charlotte was revealed a
million-fold in the response to the horrific terrorist attacks upon our nation. Quietly, immediately, and powerfully, the indomitable human spirit of a nation and a human race emerged as people turned to one another for strength, and offered a helping hand, a prayer, a hope, a tear in every way imaginable. We were all just a little bit kinder, all just a little bit calmer, all just a bit more concerned about one another. May this spirit continue to inspire us all in the days and weeks and years to come.
We are forever changed, and yet have discovered that we are the same as we have always been. For it is in our very nature, in the divine-like potential with which we are all imbued, that we discover our strength. May we continue to reach out to each other, to support each other, to work to help one another, to build a world of peace in which each and every human being can live in freedom, dignity and peace.
A New Year has begun. We are reminded of why Temple Beth El was established, why we continue to gather as a community, why our nation exists. We are here for a purpose, and we continue on our holy journey.
James M. Bennett
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