Dear JCRC Board, Council, and Friends,
With the events of the past two weeks still swirling around in our heads – and with our own US Memorial Day on the Horizon – I just wanted to reach out with a message of reflection and hope and include some resources for both processing the events in Washington DC this week and the storm that wreaked havoc on our own St. Louis Community the week before.
Making sense of it all is something we are still wrestling with, and I am not sure if I can add much more to what has been said so eloquently by so many. As my colleague Rabbi Josh Feigelson from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality has noted this week, our social media reality has made it so easy to “say something” that we don’t always take the time just be, sit with our thoughts, and use the silence as solace. I know I struggle with that more than most – and so with Shabbat coming in – that coming peace is at least giving me some comfort. Sometimes it is just too much – and this moment at the end of May could be remembered that way.
In our local JCRC world, we also just held our annual Tzedek Awards – and I know many of my colleagues have their annual events coming up in the coming weeks. How different would our event have been if it were held next week? I am not sure. But as I mentioned to our new Board Chair, David Rosenstock, yesterday – this is what we do. We celebrate. Then we mourn. And we know we will celebrate again. Just not right now.
With Memorial Day weekend upon us, the words that have been on my own mind today are Service and Sacrifice. It’s the service and sacrifice of so many. The service and sacrifice of Sarah and Yaron who, in working for the Israeli Embassy, did take risks every day. The service and sacrifice of all those who work for Jewish communal organizations who see protests out of their windows on a regular basis and ask if those will also become as violent as they have been on some college campuses – or if there will be someone like the shooter in DC in the crowd. I think of IDF soldiers and their daily sacrifice and service. And of Israelis who live in the periphery who will likely never feel safe again. I think of peace builders in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities who we have lost since October 7th and what they risked for a better future. And of course, I think about the service and sacrifice of our own miliary who fought for generations for the democratic structures and protections we cherish in this country. So much sacrifice that we often say during this weekend – that we cannot forget and that we cannot take it for granted. It is this service and sacrifice that we say shapes our obligation to the present and the future. And I think that is what is getting me through this time.
I am also thinking just as much about the community leaders we honored this past Tuesday at the JCRC Tzedek Awards – and how their service and obligation to the future was ever present. I am struck by how many of those we honored, who serve as professionals or volunteers could certainly do different things with their time or with their money. But they don’t. They sacrifice their time, their sweat, and their tears to give back and to serve others.
Those who were with us at the Tzedek Awards and those who have gotten to know me have heard me speak often of my grandfather Jack Bendell. But this is the time of year that my dad, Ed Cohen, takes the spotlight. My dad was a Navy pilot who served in Korea and traveled the world during his service. My dad told us stories of his travels to places near and far. He recounted not being able to leave the plane when he landed in Saudi Arabia for refueling – while all the other non-Jewish crew members could. He never forgot that, and it shaped him. But it didn’t define him. He was a soldier - but maybe even because of that – he wanted us to live in a world that was less militant. He took his Jewish values into the world with him wherever he went, wherever he traveled, and he used them to shape how he made friends, how he worked, and how he responded to anti-Jewish comments and attitudes.
I was actually reminded of my Dad just a few weeks ago when I had the honor of listening to two IDF officers who were brought to St. Louis to speak to us about their post-10/7 service. The older soldier recounted how when he had his uniform on – he was solely focused on his job, his fellow soldiers, and the mission. But he also said the minute he took that uniform off in his home near Tel Aviv, he would then travel to Rabin Square to let his voice be heard. The uniform was his obligation and his duty – but it didn’t define everything about him and how he saw the future. This duality of what it means to be an Israeli today fascinated me and we spoke at length when I saw him at the Jewish Community Center for Yom Haatzmaut. This, I think, is something for us to harness this weekend. The uniform. The service. The sacrifice. And the obligation and responsibility to the future. All at the same time. It is so Jewish and so Israeli. It is who we are and it is what we do.
So, as we try to process all that has happened in tragedy – and still try to move forward with love and courage – I can only say that we are in this together. And for me – that is what community, and this council - is all about. In the coming weeks and months - personally - I look forward to engaging with many more of you. And organizationally – I hope that you will come to find JCRC even more of a place to come together in community, for common cause, and to bring these stories of service, sacrifice, and obligation to communities who so need to hear them from us - now more than ever.
Below, please find a number of important resources focused on two areas – links to find support and more information about the tragedy in DC – and even more resources and volunteer opportunities for Tornado relief efforts. And if you were unable to attend our Tzedek awards, please visit this link to learn more about the amazing work of our honorees and our community.
Shabbat Shalom,
David
JCRC Executive Director
Resources for responding to events in Washington, DC
Contacting Scott Biondo - Community Security Director
AJC / JFNA Webinar from today (5/23) on latest information about events in DC
Security Resources / Recommendations from JFNA national security network
Jewish Education Project Webinar from today (5/23) on Processing Trauma with Students
St. Louis Tornado Relief
Visit our NEW JCRC Tornado Relief Page for updated Volunteer Opportunities for this Weekend and Next Week:
Weekend of May 31 - June 1 Opportunities:
Packing food boxes - Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
Help with feeding at shelters - American Red Cross
Tornado Recovery Volunteers - The Salvation Army
Debris Clean Up and Roof Tarping - God’s Pit Crew
