“It’s about us, not them,” said Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James to hundreds of people gathered at a rally Saturday, Nov. 9, on the grounds of the Liberty Memorial. “Those guys are bozos. We cannot change people that ignorant.”
The mayor was referring to members of the National Socialist Movement, called neo-Nazis by many, who were holding a rally at the same time on the steps of the Jackson County Courthouse downtown. James was a surprise speaker at the Liberty Memorial counter rally, which was attended by more than 400 people of all races, religions and sexual orientation. The rally was organized by Leonard Zeskind, president of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights (IREHR). A second counter rally, which took place across the street from the courthouse, was also attended by hundreds of people.
Zeskind said two counter rallies were held Saturday because “some people wanted to go downtown and scream at the Nazis. I didn’t.”
In fact many people at the Liberty Memorial rally, including Anita Russell of the NAACP, noted the common thread between the people of all colors and faiths who attended the rally was to “say no to hate, intolerance and discrimination.”
Most of the speakers, more than 10 total, made similar statements to this one made by KCMO City Councilman John Sharp, when he said the neo-Nazi rally reminded us that unchecked hatred and prejudice leads to violence and murder.
Congregation Beth Torah’s Rabbi Mark Levin gave a passionate speech early in the rally, noting that everyone there “knows what it’s like to be hated.
“All of us are created in God’s image and equal in God’s eyes,” the rabbi said. “Hatred toward one of us is hatred toward all of us.”
In addition to standing up to hatred, the rally’s main focus was to support immigration reform. Many speakers, including Mayor James, suggested rally participants need to support immigration reform at the ballot box.
“This is a country of immigrants. We all, except Native Americans, came from other countries,” NAACP’s Russell stated.
Dr. David Rudman, president of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee had similar comments.
“Many of our parents and grandparents were immigrants,” Dr. Rudman said. “Today we need comprehensive immigration reform in this country.”
The rally was organized by the IREHR, NAACP, JCRB|AJC, El Centro, Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, and Amber Versola. Other organizations represented at the rally included Veterans for Peace, Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Mattie Rhodes Center, Guadalupe Center, League of United Latin American Citizens and the Jewish War Veterans — including one vet who fought against Hitler.
It is Zeskind’s understanding that 47 NSM members participated in Saturday’s anti-immigration rally. On Monday morning he did not know how many people attended the private swastika-lighting ceremony, similar to a Klan cross burning, held later that day. Zeskind does believe the size of the counter rallies kept some of the NSM members away from their rally.
“I thought they were going to get some Klan men and they didn’t,” Zeskind said.
The rally was peaceful and well attended, but it was not endorsed by everyone in the Jewish community because it took place on Shabbat. In an e-blast sent just prior to the beginning of Shabbat on Friday, Nov. 8, Congregation Beth Shalom’s Rabbi David Glickman suggested alternative ways to protest the neo-Nazi rally. The Conservative rabbi wrote that he did not want to draw attention to a fringe group of evil-doers and give them the power to diminish Shabbat.
Rabbi Glickman, among others, suggested people attend the 75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht. The memorial, organized by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and held Sunday night at Beth Torah, attracted about 240 people. MCHE’s Executive Director Jean Zeldin said that’s about double the number that usually attends that commemoration.
Last week members of Temple Israel of Greater Kanas City urged people to donate money to MCHE in response to the NSM’s rally. Zeldin said on Tuesday it’s too soon to tell if donations to the agency spiked because of the request.
Many believe it was not by coincidence that the neo-Nazis held their rally on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, including JCRB|AJC’s Dr. Rudman who reminded the crowd that the Night of Broken Glass was one of the darkest days in Jewish history.
Many also noted that the rally was held at the Liberty Memorial, high atop a hill, to symbolize that those at this rally had higher moral standards than the neo-Nazis. It was also symbolic that it was held on land that pays tribute to veterans.
“It is not by chance we stand on ground where veterans are honored who gave their all for this country,” said Daniel Morin, national vice president of the Midwest League of United Latin American Citizens.
Zeskind said he believes the rally was a success.
“Everybody who came to the rally felt good about it and felt it had achieved its goal of creating a mix of black, brown, white, Christian, Jewish, etc. …,” Zeskind said.