Broken Glass Leads to Wholeness
As Debbie Jacknin, our resident artist, said to our students: when we as Jews think of broken glass, we think of Kristallnacht. And while the shards of colorful broken glass that were to be used to create our memorial to the horror of October 27, 2018, she noted that while they would not become whole, together they would create something new. And so they did.
Hand after hand – congregants of every age, neighbors of every age, skin tone, gender, religion, ethnicity, our elected officials and every single one of our religious school students placed glass onto our glass mosaic, designed by Debbie, inspired by our Remembrance Committee and based on the poem “In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them” written by Rabbis Syvan Kamens and Jack Reimer.
The first to place the broken glass were Committee members who placed 11 stars for the 11 victims. The very first star was placed by the hand of Rachael Farber, great niece of Rose Mallinger (z”l) in the top right corner.
Carefully placing glass shards is healing. As it was when I asked students to choose a piece of glass that reflected, through its color or shape, how they were feeling at that moment. Red for anger; blue for comfort; red for violence… And then those emotions became art.
Thank you to Debbie, to our Committee, to all who joined us on Saturday night and to every hand that touched a piece of art that reflects brokenness and wholeness all at once.
A Proud Moment
It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I sat on the “bimah” of the Monroeville United Methodist Church along with the clergy and lay representatives of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium as we expressed our thankfulness and celebrated the diversity of America.
It was a powerful evening.
But it is the quiet moments that might count even more. After the horrific shooting of a Muslim taxi driver in Pittsburgh, I texted my Muslim colleague to express not only my sorrow, but that our interfaith work is stronger than hate… but only if we express it.
As you wrap your Chanukah gifts, set up your chanukkiot, buy your potatoes and oil, and consider the beneficiaries of your end of the year giving, give the gift of tolerance. One phone call, note or text at a time.
The Kotel Needs to be all of ours
Are you ready to make your voice heard? If so, go to the Religious Action Center petition urging the Israeli government to ensure that oversight of the Kotel includes a range of Jewish views and voices and protects gender equality.