As The Chronicle was about to arrive in mailboxes last week, supporters of President Trump were storming the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s win in last year’s presidential election. As the aftereffects of the deadly Jan. 6 riot continued into this week, The Chronicle revisited some of the immediate responses from the local Jewish Community. The statements have been edited for length.
Public statement from the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City
We, the members of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, are saddened by the events that transpired on Jan. 6, 2021, in our nation’s capital. We mourn the loss of human life and deplore the destruction of property. We are dismayed that our president incited and encouraged the seditionists who stormed the halls of Congress with the purpose of overthrowing democracy. In addition, we are alarmed at seeing the pictures of individuals openly wearing slogans desecrating the Holocaust.
We are united in denouncing these acts of domestic terrorism as well as those who support or abate its cause: the troublesome resurgence of Neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology that we have witnessed in our country since January of 2017. The Neo-Nazis who stormed our U.S. Capitol at the urging of the sitting president are a threat to us as Jews, to the Black and Brown communities, and to all who celebrate the strength of our diversity.
We call on the Jewish community and our nation to be vigilant in our opposition to political violence, and we must do so peacefully. Two-thousand years ago, Rabbi Hillel taught: “Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace.”
It is not enough to love peace in our hearts; we must do what we can to bring people together, to make peace happen, to stress our commonality above our differences, to stress our common concerns for the health and safety of our families, and the fair treatment of every human being.
Let us commit once again to be rod’fei shalom, people who pursue peace daily. Loving and actively pursuing peace is how we show that we all want to make this country better. We pray that Jan. 20 will bring about a renewed opportunity for us to move forward as a people who value the Divine image that each of us carries within.
A message to the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy community
By Adam Tilove
HBHA Head of School
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this was a difficult week for our country, and our democracy. As events unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, I couldn’t help but think about HBHA’s mission statement: To prepare students for fulfilling lives as Jews and as honorable, contributing citizens.
What is a citizen? The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states that, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside.”
Most of us are citizens simply because we were born here. And according to the law, we are entitled to certain rights because of our citizenship. We are entitled to protection, and basic economic infrastructure. The political philosopher Thomas Hobbes stated that life without government would be “nasty, brutish, and short.” Governments exist to provide us with a life that is both civilized and long.
But what do we owe? What does it mean to be an honorable and contributing citizen?
At HBHA we believe it is our responsibility to understand and honor our system of government:
to uphold the highest aspirations of our country — a government that is made “by the people and for the people,” and
to be informed by truth and make thoughtful and ethical decisions on governance, including our most primal right to self-determination — our right to vote.
This work begins in the classroom. We strive to help our students develop critical thinking skills, so they can form their own opinions. We teach and model civil discourse. We tap into Jewish ethics and traditions to drive home the importance of kavod (respect), tzedek (justice), chesed (caring) and kehillah (community).
Judaism has recognized for centuries that our success rests to a large extent on the success of the country in which we live. We have incorporated various prayers for our country into our liturgy.
Public statement from Rabbi Sarah Smiley, The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah
The word tzedek, or justice, appears 116 times in the Torah. More frequently if you count all the variations of the word. Most famously in Deuteronomy when we read “justice, justice you shall pursue.”
Justice was missing from our country’s Capitol on Wednesday. It is times like these which make pursuing justice even more difficult but equally more necessary. In our pursuit of justice, our goal needs to be peace. Peace between different viewpoints. Peace between different backgrounds. Peace between different faiths. Peace between all people.
Peace in Judaism means so much more. The Hebrew word shalom implies a sense of completion. In the Bible, the word shalom means well-being and prosperity, as well as peace. Let us care for the well-being of all people as we move our country forward to years of prosperity.
We learn in Pirkei Avot “three things preserve the world; truth, justice and peace.” May we, even during these dark days, find truth, pursue justice and create peace.
Thoughts on the events in D.C. ... and why it’s important to make your bed
By Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel
Chabad Center for Jewish Life at KU
In a YouTube video that was watched over 12 million times, William McRaven, a U.S. Navy admiral, says: “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” He provides two reasons for his statement. First, accomplishing one task will encourage you to do another task, and second, making your bed will make you realize that “the little things matter.”
But I think that the highly decorated admiral missed another critical point.
The reason why making the bed is so important is because if you want to change the world, you must be disciplined. You must not give in to the immediate gratification and instead do the right thing, even if I don’t feel like it.
A friend of mine told me that he always takes cold showers.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“No, I love hot showers. But I also want to show myself that I don’t get everything I want,” he answered.
While I still take hot showers, I admire his attitude.
Because we all strive to be good people, people who are in tune with G-d and His Mitzvot; the first step is to add some more discipline to our lives.
It was painful to see what happened in Washington D.C. this week.
Because just like we need discipline in our own lives, we also need law and order within our society. Without law and order, individuals will use any possible means to further their self-interest, regardless of how it might impact others.
Hatred and violence are never a Jewish option. Unless our life is being threatened, we don’t use force, certainly not behaving violently.
In the words of my teacher the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s words in 1968: “Through acts of violence and destruction one abandons the path of righteousness and justice, and eventually becomes destructive even to his family and, ultimately to himself.”
Let’s pray together.
Let’s pray for our country, let’s pray that we can come together and heal, that we can all unite for the betterment of this great country and indeed the entire world.
Public statement from Board of Directors, Faith Always Wins Foundation
As our United States Capitol was placed on lockdown while protestors, some who turned into rioters or worse, attacked the fundamentals of our democracy, a different level of fear was palpable.
Violence is not the answer. It overshadows civil dialogue and the laws of our country.
The Faith Always Wins Foundation was born of a violent, ideologic, and hate-filled attack that cost three people their lives.
What we witnessed Jan. 6, in Washington D.C., was a disturbing reminder that our mission as an organization is more important than ever in these turbulent times. We believe, through faith, that God can bring good from bad and that today’s tragic events present an opportunity to change hearts and minds, promote peaceful dialogue, respect, and healing.
People of all faiths are welcome at our table to engage in dialogue and develop understanding and appreciation of our differences. We pray for healing of our nation, its governing bodies, and those who serve our country at all levels. Let peace preside over those who protect our democracy.
Public statement from Hilary Cohen Singer, Jewish Vocational Service
Jan. 6, 2021 will go down in history. We will remember it for the frightening insurrection at our nation’s Capitol and the threat that intolerance and exclusionary thinking present to our democracy. It also laid bare the deep inequalities in our system of policing as we watched the blatantly unbalanced way these violent extremists were treated as compared to the treatment of African American protesters and other marginalized groups marching for racial justice this past summer.
At JVS, we work towards a world where all people can achieve their potential and live in thriving communities, strengthened by diversity. The white supremacy proudly claimed by rioters threatens this vision, as does the white supremacy culture inherent in our systems of law and order.
However, we must also remember Jan. 6, 2021 as the day when the first African American senator from Georgia and the first Jewish senator from the South were elected to the U.S. Congress, thanks in large measure to the work of African American women, and on platforms that embraced justice and equality for all.
At JVS, we believe that our diversity gives us strength. We will continue our work to help people regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, country of origin, ability, or sexual orientation reach their goals and make their contributions to our community. We will continue our work to promote mutual understanding across differences, to help marginalized groups integrate fully into our community. We will continue to call out injustice and advocate for systems that treat all of us equitably. Even on a day like this, the results of the Georgia election give me hope in the strength of our democracy and the power in embracing diversity.
Public statement from Rabbi Alan David Londy, New Reform Temple
The sight of our U.S. Capitol under attack is deeply painful and frightening. As Jewish Americans, we love this great country.
Our nation is sacred. Our Constitution is holy. Our U.S. Capitol is sanctified ground. Let us all pray for America as our country is under siege by people who do not respect our laws and our values. This is a dark day for our republic. It has been wounded.
