June 3, 2020: We cannot and must not be silent or indifferent

By Michael Regenstreif

Nothing was published yesterday – June 2, 2020 – on the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin website and the only thing posted on our Facebook and Twitter accounts was an empty black box with the hashtag #BlackOutTuesday.

The Bulletin – along with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, the Ottawa Jewish Community Foundation, the Ottawa Jewish Archives, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and many other organizations and individuals – was participating in a day of solidarity, reflection and symbolic protest against racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, by white police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25; a murder that was captured by multiple bystanders on video.

Floyd had been arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill in a convenience store and, as shown on video, was in handcuffs and lying face down on the ground when a veteran police officer – who was fired and later charged with third degree murder and manslaughter – knelt on Floyd’s neck with his full weight on the knee and maintained the pressure for almost nine minutes as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe. A brutal scene to see. The officer continued to kneel on Floyd’s neck for about three minutes after he lost consciousness. Meanwhile, two other Minneapolis police officers knelt on lower parts of Floyd’s body as a third officer stood by. Those three other policemen were also fired but are yet to be charged in the case.

Floyd was just the latest of many persons of colour who have died unjustly at the hands of police over the years in the United States (and we Canadians must not be complacent about this as it has also happened here too many times) but his death sparked protests around the United States the extent of which have not been seen since the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. As I write, more than week after Floyd’s murder, the protests continue. And while the overwhelming majority of protesters have been peaceful, regretfully, some of the protests, particularly under the cover of darkness, have also been coopted by destructive looters and violent provocateurs whose actions have been counterproductive to the noble intentions of those demanding an end to police brutality and racial oppression.

After the horror of seeing the Floyd murder videos on television, I saw a selfie posted by my friend Vance Gilbert to his Facebook page that affected me deeply.

Vance, who lives in the Boston area, is an African American singer and songwriter and one of the cleverest and most entertaining stage performers I know. He’s been here in Ottawa a couple of times over the years to play at the folk festival. This is the caption to the photo that Vance posted on Facebook on May 27:

Friend: “Cool mask!”
‪Me:“Stoppin’ droplets, baby! I love airplanes so I’m stylin’. I’m over 60, so I’m in a high-risk group.”
‪Friend: “What’s that around your neck?”
‪Me: “It’s a knee brace.”
‪Friend: “Whaaa..?”
‪Me: “Protects my neck from knees. I’m in that *other* high-risk group.”

Vance was brilliantly using humour and satire to make a point.

“Don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the knee brace,” I wrote to him in the Facebook comments. “I guess I can laugh at how clever it is but cry over the truth that it tells.”

The murder of George Floyd has focussed attention on the deeply rooted racism in American society. And although much progress has been made over the years, the past few years have seen regression under a U.S. president whose modus operandi has been to stoke division, to sew a politics of resentment and who has, on too many occasions, employed both veiled and not-so-veiled racist rhetoric. I cannot forget that in 2017, when Colin Kaepernick and some other Black football players were protesting police brutality against African Americans by quietly and respectfully kneeling during pre-game singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” this American president said they should be kicked out of the country.

I recall the Civil Rights Movement adage that “freedom is a constant struggle” and I am gratified to see that our Jewish community in North America – from major and grassroots organizations to the full spectrum of denominations – is acting in solidarity with the African American community. Here is a small sampling of statements from Jewish organizations:

“This week has reminded us yet again that we have a long way to go in our work towards a more just society for all. We will not stop fighting for a world free of racism and bigotry in all of its forms,” said a tweet released by The Jewish Federations of North America.

“Anti-Black racism is a scourge to which we are not immune in Canada. We stand with our friends in the Black community, to whom we say: with great anger & broken hearts, we denounce this hate, we recommit to working with you to combat & eliminate it,” said a tweet from CIJA, the advocacy agent for Jewish federations in Canada, including the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

“Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a political issue. It is a real and present danger that must be met head on. … We call on all … to unite in the pursuit of justice and brotherly love and respect, regardless of race, creed or color. In this encounter, let us all seek greater understanding amongst our fellow men and women – all of whom are created in the image of God. Let us work in partnership toward eradicating all forms of bigotry and racism,” said a statement from the Orthodox Union.

“United in purpose, we will dismantle the systemic racism all too embedded still within American law enforcement and its justice system. The firing and we hope prosecution of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in this one egregious murder is a necessary step, but it cannot be the only action against structural injustices that have plagued generations and continue to this day. We must forever strive for a free and just society for all people,” said a statement released by The Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement.

“The national rage expressed about the murder of Mr. Floyd reflects the depth of pain over the injustice that People of Color – and particularly Black men – have been subjected to throughout the generations. In recent months we have seen, yet again, too many devastating examples of persistent systemic racism, leading to the deaths not only of Mr. Floyd but of other precious souls, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

“We remember others before them: Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Sandra Bland. Oscar Grant. Philando Castile. Walter Scott. Terrence Crutcher. Samuel Dubose. Michael Brown. The list feels endless, and so too is our despair. But as we recite the Mourner’s Kaddish for them all, we say now, again: We will not sit idly by. Our country simply cannot achieve the values of ‘justice for all’ to which it aspires until we address ongoing racism in all sectors and at all levels of society. We remain in solidarity and action with the NAACP’s urgent #WeAreDoneDying campaign, whose policy demands cover areas of criminal justice, economic justice, health care, and voting, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact Black Americans,” added Rabbi Pesner.

“We must dismantle white supremacy now if we are to have any chance at building a more just and equitable world for all people. For all people – because we are committed to the core Jewish value that all people are created betzelem elokim – in the image of the divine – and are therefore equally deserving of full human dignity and safety. But also, specifically for our people – the Jews of Color within the Reconstructionist movement and beyond who face the oppression, pain, and fear of living under white supremacy every day. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that our Jewish communities provide a safe, supportive, loving and empowering haven for all of us, most especially Jews of Color,” said a statement posted by Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.

From talking with Black friends over the years I am well aware that their reality differs from mine in many ways. And while many other African Americans have died unnecessarily and disproportionately at the hands of law enforcement officials, the murder of George Floyd during a pandemic that has brought death and economic hardship to so many seems to be a turning point. It is up to all of us to ensure that our societies and communities rise to the challenge epitomized in the principles of tikkun olam to repair our world. We cannot and must not be silent or indifferent.

April 8, 2013: Obama visit points to a more hopeful Yom Ha’Atzmaut

By Michael Regenstreif

The big story in the Jewish world during our final production days for this edition of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin was the three-day visit to Israel by U.S. President Barack Obama. We have photos and news items from the first two days of the visit on pages 2, 12 and 17.

As I write on March 22, we have just received breaking news that Obama concluded his time in Israel by brokering a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey. Obama’s last 30 minutes in Israel were spent with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a trailer on the runway at Ben-Gurion Airport as they spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed an apology to the Turkish people for any error that may have led to the loss of life, and agreed to complete the agreement for compensation,” an official Israeli statement said about the incident on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish boat attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza on May 31, 2010. It was this incident that precipitated the break in relations between Israel and Turkey, which were once allies.

The Israeli statement noted that Netanyahu and Erdoğan agreed to restore normal relations, including returning their ambassadors to their posts.

Also on his final day, Obama paid solemn visits to Yad Vashem and to the graves of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism. Obama placed a stone on Rabin’s grave that he brought from the foot of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington.

At Yad Vashem, Obama spoke words that are so very relevant at this time of year as we mark Yom HaShoah on April 7-8 and Yom Ha’Atzmaut on April 15-16.

“Here we hope,” Obama said at Yad Vashem following a tour and after laying a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance.

“Because, after you walk through these halls, after you pass through the darkness, there is light – a glorious view of the Jerusalem forest, with the sun shining over the historic homeland of the Jewish people; a fulfillment of the prophecy: ‘You shall live again … upon your own soil,’” he said. “Here, on your ancient land, let it be said for all the world to hear: The State of Israel does not exist because of the Holocaust. But, with the survival of a strong Jewish State of Israel, such a Holocaust will never happen again.”

Throughout his visit, the American president reiterated his strong support for Israel and the unbreakable bonds that exist between the United States and Israel, and of the need for a two-state solution. Obama also spoke honestly to both Israelis and Palestinians about the imperative of coming to a peace agreement and of overcoming the reasons and rationales that have kept them from the negotiating table over the past four years.

In the end, the Obama trip was about hope, of tikvah, for the future. To that end, the resolution with Turkey is hugely significant.

Despite all of the cruel realities of the Middle East, this Yom Ha’Atzmaut does seem ever so slightly more hopeful than any in recent memory.

March 18, 2013: The message of Passover remains essential after thousands of years

By Michael Regenstreif

I’ve always found Passover – when we recall the slavery our ancestors endured in ancient Egypt and their struggle for freedom and liberation under Moses’ leadership as told in the book of Exodus – to be the most inspiring of all the Jewish holidays.

Every year, the Passover Haggadah reminds us that each of us, like the many generations who came before us, must see ourselves as personally moving from the bondage of slavery to freedom.

Many centuries later, African Americans found inspiration in those same biblical legends as they struggled for freedom from the cruel shackles of slavery in the 19th century and as they continued that struggle in the civil rights movement of the 20th century and beyond.

The story of the ancient Israelites was recalled by such eminent African American leaders as Harriet Tubman, who organized and led the Underground Railroad, which brought many from slavery in the Southern U.S. to freedom here in Canada in the 1850s; and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., the inspiring leader of the modern civil rights movement.

There are countless songs in both the Jewish and African American musical traditions that celebrate these biblical stories and remind us of the paramount importance their lessons still hold in our own time when outright slavery and other forms of extreme oppression still exist in many places throughout the world. You can hear some of those songs on two wonderful CDs, both first released in advance of Passover in 2005, and both inspiring collaborations between Jewish and African American musicians. Eight years later, both CDs remain on the Amazon.com bestseller lists for Jewish music.

Brother Moses Smote the Water (Piranha Records) is a live concert recording by the Klezmatics, one of the most dynamic and innovative bands of the modern klezmer revival, with African American gospel singers Joshua Nelson and Kathryn Farmer, while Let My People Go: A Jewish and African American Celebration of Freedom (Appleseed Recordings) is a collaboration between my friends Kim and Reggie Harris, African American folksingers who have made the songs of the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement a cornerstone of their repertoire, and their friend Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, the spiritual leader of Kehillat Lev Shalem, the Jewish congregation in Woodstock, New York.

Every year, I listen again to these inspiring albums as we approach Passover. Their songs and stories remind me of the relevance to our contemporary world of the story of Moses leading ancient Israelites out of bondage thousands of years ago. Until freedom reigns throughout the world, the journey begun by Moses so long ago will continue.

End of the Common Era

It was revealed late last month that the Canadian Museum of Civilization, soon to be called the Canadian Museum of History, has changed its style guide and will now use the abbreviations BC and AD, which stand for “before Christ” and anno Domini (Latin for “in the year of the Lord”), rather than BCE and CE for “before the common era” and “common era,” which have been used for decades.

It has become increasingly common for historians and other academics, and for museums, to use BCE and CE over the past 40 or so years as we’ve recognized ours is a multicultural society. The World Almanac and Book of Facts, a reference book published annually in the United States since 1868, dropped BC and AD for BCE and CE in 2007.

But usage of the religiously neutral terms BCE and CE have been common – no pun intended – in Jewish circles for more than 150 years. They were used by Rabbi Morris Jacob Raphall in his book, Post-Biblical History of the Jews, published in 1856.

Museum of Civilization officials insist the change was not made for religious reasons; that it was only made in recognition of more museum-goers being familiar with BC and AD than with BCE and CE.

Using BCE and CE was mostly symbolic. But symbolism is important. The terms sent a message of inclusion and multiculturalism. If some museum-goers didn’t know what the abbreviations meant, they could be told – education is part of any museum’s mission – as, presumably, they have been over the decades. The museum is an institution that belongs to all Canadians and the move is a step backwards to a time when Canada was a less inclusive, indeed, a less tolerant, society. The policy should be reversed.