Last night, Sherrod and I attended a vigil for Israel. We walked through the doors and into a packed room pulsing with pain and grief. The service, organized by JewishColumbus, took place before an overflow crowd at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus. Rabbis and other Jewish community leaders stood side by side, their faces painting a montage of grief. At different points in the service, one or more of them raised their faces to the dark sky as tears pooled in their eyes.
i was probably about 4, playing in the backyard of a (probably) Catholic family in our neighborhood. I saw a little girl thru the yard's hedge. She invited me over and off I went to another backyoard, filled with the most wonderful toys. The kids in the other yard yelled, "You shouldn't go there, she's Jewish." I actually thought that meant someone with lots of toys. Next I was invited up to her bedroom, full of more toys, and her own bathroom. Wow--being Jewish looked great. A few days later, her parents called my mother and asked if they could come visit. My mother asked me if I had done anything wrong to cause such a visit. Over tea and cake, Barbara's parents expressed their joy that at last their daughter had found a friend. My mother tried to explain, but, alas, at 4, I still only thought it was because I loved her toys. To this day, I am amazed at how open my parents were.
Connie, you show up as you said. And when the war ends, you still show up. The world including the US, did not show up in 1933. In 1938. In 1939, in 1942,44-only in 1945. My grandfather, a prominent rabbi in the US, personally told the State Dept and Roosevelt what was happening in Nazi Germany in 1933 and again in 1935 after he visited Germany. His warnings were ignored. You can read his short non/fiction piece “Sentenced to Death-the Jews of Nazi Germany” by Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman.
There is no bothsidesism here.
Showing up is what we need today and tomorrow even when life seems to go back to normal
Sometimes words don't suffice; this is one of those times. However, your words and actions speak louder than all of the hate terrorizing our world. Keep shining for all of us, Connie. ❤️
Thank you, Connie. For speaking up and showing up, when almost no one has (particularly on this platform, or maybe it just happens to be who I’m subscribed to, which I’ll have to rethink). This is brave (which is sad), and it means everything. Your words matter. Thank you ❤️.
Said as only you could do -- and showing up as I know you WOULD do. My best friend in 7th grade was Jewish -- I went to her house to get ready for Hanukkah and she decorated Christmas cookies with me. It didn't really represent a lot, but it meant everything. Thanks for the words that mirror my own grief for my Jewish friends and those I don't even know.
Things I must know and things that surprise me when they are in writing: "As a practicing Christian, I have never feared for my life. Not for one moment have I worried that the traditions of my religion—the crosses around our necks, the Christmas lights in our windows, the mere bowing of our heads in prayer—will provoke acts of violence against us."
A DC resident since '78, my formative and early adult years were spent in Dayton where I still have family and friends. Is it possible that the non-Jewish children with whom I grew up, lived near, and with whom I went to school were unaware of the discrimination we Jewish children faced? One day a month, the non-Jewish children at our public grade school left the grounds and went to "Bible School" of some sort. Teachers had to 'watch' us and it was clear they resented it. Was there such little awareness that many neighborhoods were not open to us because of our religion?
Did I feel fear? Yes. And still. Born just two years after Dad (z"l) returned from WWII, we lived around other Veterans and Survivors. Tho' the Holocaust wasn't entirely understood by me, in my attic bedroom, I felt fear most nights that Germans were outside our house and wondered if I could hide in the eaves of the house but couldn't save my parents and brother.
Called names on the playground, me with a very Northern European "Heidi-like" look, I didn't understand the hate.
Now, a professional in hospitality, too often in negotiations I hear a phrase that is hurtful and hateful.
Now, at an annual gathering of a diverse group of 25 friends for an MLK Service, and because of limited mobility, I tell my spouse and our friends that if we are attacked - and yes, I think about it often - THEY should "run-hide-fight". They should survive. And I fear it because it is in a Jewish house of worship.
My family in Israel is for now safe, inclusing those serving. I have not heard from my Palestinian American friends if their families in Gaza and elsewhere are safe. I have been sick to my stomach since this began and it has revived my fears of both antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Prayers are deserved by many.
More, teaching about people and bringing understanding to classrooms and neighborhoods, houses of worship, community centers, is the only way we will ever move on. The "Charlie Brown with Lucy and the Football" me believes if we just do more, we can overcome this hate. This week, I'm less sure.
I was in Israel on an academic term abroad in 1978. I left (for England, and a visit with my grandparents, among other things) the night Israel invaded Lebanon. I got off the plane at Heathrow, and learned about it in the newspaper headlines. I had friends who took part in that invasion.
I lived on a kibbutz less than 20 miles from the Lebanon border; it was quite an education (and awakening) for a white kid born in NE Ohio, and raised in middle class Lake County. Living in Israel meant I learned the version of the settlement and codification of Israel as a Nation/State recognized internationally, as conferred by Israeli citizens.
It was pretty complex.
And it made me wonder....
I got to be friends with a group of guys doing construction and carpentry on the kibbutz; but I was told to ‘not trust them,’ as they were Arabs. There were Druze Christians, also distrusted, and clearly poorer and less respected than their neighbors.
I have read the list of “forbidden goods” restricted from import into Gaza - dry wall? medical supplies? - and I wonder, how can these restrictions be justified?
I do not endorse the violence (current or historic!) in the Middle East from either side. I pray for an equitable and fair resolution to these millennia old tribal wars . The Palestinians deserve a homeland no less than Israel; I only pray to see this resolved in my lifetime.
Once again you put into words the grief we are sharing. Showing up speaks volumes when words are inadequate. It did remind me of the lyrics of "Turning Away" by Pink Floyd. It ends with: "No more turning away from the weak and the weary. No more turning away from the coldness inside. Just a world that we all must share. It's not enough just to stand and stare. Is it only a dream that there'll be no more turning away?"
I have a very good friend from High School on who lives in Israel with his lovely family. He is an extraordinary man who has spent his life working for the Weizmann Institute and traveling the world for them. Brilliant, funny, kind, loving and a wonderful family man. His home near Tel Aviv for his adult life has a shelter to try and protect the family from bombings that have occurred regularly over the years. They hear the shelling at night so often. Now, this horrendous terrorist attack has the entire country in their shelters and fearing the worst. It is beyond heartbreaking. And all we can do is send them our thoughts and prayers and let them know how much we care.
Thank you, Connie. I can't begin to express what your words mean to me right now. I am struggling with the response from many of my liberal friends. It's breaking my heart. Too many of my liberal friends can't bring themselves to have any empathy for this horror.
Thank you Connie for sharing this. Right now I simply do not have words for all I am feeling about this. My heart breaks for Israel and my friends who are Jewish.
Thank you, Connie, for your words and empathy. The pointless slaughter on both sides is so hard to comprehend. I grieve for all those who have died in this. The Israelis did not deserve this, and neither did the Palestinians, who are being used by Hamas. What can we do? How can we stop this? Keep writing your words o compassion and care. Thank you again!
I grew up in the Methodist Church. Never once did any of us have any reason to feel threatened. It hurts my soul to think that so many do. And my heart aches at the pain and grief of so many innocent victims of this terrorist attack.
i was probably about 4, playing in the backyard of a (probably) Catholic family in our neighborhood. I saw a little girl thru the yard's hedge. She invited me over and off I went to another backyoard, filled with the most wonderful toys. The kids in the other yard yelled, "You shouldn't go there, she's Jewish." I actually thought that meant someone with lots of toys. Next I was invited up to her bedroom, full of more toys, and her own bathroom. Wow--being Jewish looked great. A few days later, her parents called my mother and asked if they could come visit. My mother asked me if I had done anything wrong to cause such a visit. Over tea and cake, Barbara's parents expressed their joy that at last their daughter had found a friend. My mother tried to explain, but, alas, at 4, I still only thought it was because I loved her toys. To this day, I am amazed at how open my parents were.
Connie, you show up as you said. And when the war ends, you still show up. The world including the US, did not show up in 1933. In 1938. In 1939, in 1942,44-only in 1945. My grandfather, a prominent rabbi in the US, personally told the State Dept and Roosevelt what was happening in Nazi Germany in 1933 and again in 1935 after he visited Germany. His warnings were ignored. You can read his short non/fiction piece “Sentenced to Death-the Jews of Nazi Germany” by Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman.
There is no bothsidesism here.
Showing up is what we need today and tomorrow even when life seems to go back to normal
Thank you and the Senator for showing up!
Sometimes words don't suffice; this is one of those times. However, your words and actions speak louder than all of the hate terrorizing our world. Keep shining for all of us, Connie. ❤️
What a thoughtful and beautiful message. It is so appreciated Connie. Thank you.
Thank you, Connie. For speaking up and showing up, when almost no one has (particularly on this platform, or maybe it just happens to be who I’m subscribed to, which I’ll have to rethink). This is brave (which is sad), and it means everything. Your words matter. Thank you ❤️.
Said as only you could do -- and showing up as I know you WOULD do. My best friend in 7th grade was Jewish -- I went to her house to get ready for Hanukkah and she decorated Christmas cookies with me. It didn't really represent a lot, but it meant everything. Thanks for the words that mirror my own grief for my Jewish friends and those I don't even know.
Things I must know and things that surprise me when they are in writing: "As a practicing Christian, I have never feared for my life. Not for one moment have I worried that the traditions of my religion—the crosses around our necks, the Christmas lights in our windows, the mere bowing of our heads in prayer—will provoke acts of violence against us."
A DC resident since '78, my formative and early adult years were spent in Dayton where I still have family and friends. Is it possible that the non-Jewish children with whom I grew up, lived near, and with whom I went to school were unaware of the discrimination we Jewish children faced? One day a month, the non-Jewish children at our public grade school left the grounds and went to "Bible School" of some sort. Teachers had to 'watch' us and it was clear they resented it. Was there such little awareness that many neighborhoods were not open to us because of our religion?
Did I feel fear? Yes. And still. Born just two years after Dad (z"l) returned from WWII, we lived around other Veterans and Survivors. Tho' the Holocaust wasn't entirely understood by me, in my attic bedroom, I felt fear most nights that Germans were outside our house and wondered if I could hide in the eaves of the house but couldn't save my parents and brother.
Called names on the playground, me with a very Northern European "Heidi-like" look, I didn't understand the hate.
Now, a professional in hospitality, too often in negotiations I hear a phrase that is hurtful and hateful.
Now, at an annual gathering of a diverse group of 25 friends for an MLK Service, and because of limited mobility, I tell my spouse and our friends that if we are attacked - and yes, I think about it often - THEY should "run-hide-fight". They should survive. And I fear it because it is in a Jewish house of worship.
My family in Israel is for now safe, inclusing those serving. I have not heard from my Palestinian American friends if their families in Gaza and elsewhere are safe. I have been sick to my stomach since this began and it has revived my fears of both antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Prayers are deserved by many.
More, teaching about people and bringing understanding to classrooms and neighborhoods, houses of worship, community centers, is the only way we will ever move on. The "Charlie Brown with Lucy and the Football" me believes if we just do more, we can overcome this hate. This week, I'm less sure.
I was in Israel on an academic term abroad in 1978. I left (for England, and a visit with my grandparents, among other things) the night Israel invaded Lebanon. I got off the plane at Heathrow, and learned about it in the newspaper headlines. I had friends who took part in that invasion.
I lived on a kibbutz less than 20 miles from the Lebanon border; it was quite an education (and awakening) for a white kid born in NE Ohio, and raised in middle class Lake County. Living in Israel meant I learned the version of the settlement and codification of Israel as a Nation/State recognized internationally, as conferred by Israeli citizens.
It was pretty complex.
And it made me wonder....
I got to be friends with a group of guys doing construction and carpentry on the kibbutz; but I was told to ‘not trust them,’ as they were Arabs. There were Druze Christians, also distrusted, and clearly poorer and less respected than their neighbors.
I have read the list of “forbidden goods” restricted from import into Gaza - dry wall? medical supplies? - and I wonder, how can these restrictions be justified?
I do not endorse the violence (current or historic!) in the Middle East from either side. I pray for an equitable and fair resolution to these millennia old tribal wars . The Palestinians deserve a homeland no less than Israel; I only pray to see this resolved in my lifetime.
Once again you put into words the grief we are sharing. Showing up speaks volumes when words are inadequate. It did remind me of the lyrics of "Turning Away" by Pink Floyd. It ends with: "No more turning away from the weak and the weary. No more turning away from the coldness inside. Just a world that we all must share. It's not enough just to stand and stare. Is it only a dream that there'll be no more turning away?"
I have a very good friend from High School on who lives in Israel with his lovely family. He is an extraordinary man who has spent his life working for the Weizmann Institute and traveling the world for them. Brilliant, funny, kind, loving and a wonderful family man. His home near Tel Aviv for his adult life has a shelter to try and protect the family from bombings that have occurred regularly over the years. They hear the shelling at night so often. Now, this horrendous terrorist attack has the entire country in their shelters and fearing the worst. It is beyond heartbreaking. And all we can do is send them our thoughts and prayers and let them know how much we care.
Thank you, Connie. I can't begin to express what your words mean to me right now. I am struggling with the response from many of my liberal friends. It's breaking my heart. Too many of my liberal friends can't bring themselves to have any empathy for this horror.
Thank you Connie for sharing this. Right now I simply do not have words for all I am feeling about this. My heart breaks for Israel and my friends who are Jewish.
I feel so sorry for the Israelis and the thousands of Palestinians whose land they have taken and slaughtered them in cold blood. Hallelujah.
Thank you, Connie, for your words and empathy. The pointless slaughter on both sides is so hard to comprehend. I grieve for all those who have died in this. The Israelis did not deserve this, and neither did the Palestinians, who are being used by Hamas. What can we do? How can we stop this? Keep writing your words o compassion and care. Thank you again!
Thank you for standing with us last evening.
I grew up in the Methodist Church. Never once did any of us have any reason to feel threatened. It hurts my soul to think that so many do. And my heart aches at the pain and grief of so many innocent victims of this terrorist attack.