View Web Version

It has been a difficult week. Last Thursday, as we were celebrating Shavuot, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by a police officer kneeling on his neck.

 

Four police officers have been arrested. One is facing a murder and manslaughter charge.

 

The Chief Rabbi warned today that the world "seems in danger of forsaking its humanity". In a statement, he writes: "While the shocking and tragic murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests across the world are currently making the headlines, the racism and dehumanisation that they have exposed is not new. We cannot stand idly by as it takes hold of our societies.

 

"However, it is also not enough for us to simply join in with a superficial chorus of disapproval. Real change calls upon us to find the courage to challenge racism wherever we come across it: on social media, in the streets, in our communities and in our hearts."

 

Rabbi Nicky Liss, Chair of the Rabbinic Council of the United Synagogue, said on behalf of the US earlier in the week: "The death of George Floyd, now declared a homicide, was a racist, shocking and despicable act. We stand in solidarity with black communities in America, in the UK and around the world.

 

"The dream of Martin Luther King - that one day his children will "live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skins rather than by the content of their characters" - is yet to be realised.

 

"It is our duty, wherever we live, to turn this dream into reality. Racism has no place in society and we should be at the forefront of confronting it. I urge everyone to support organisations involved in fighting this evil."

 

As the Chief Rabbi notes, protests have taken place around the world. While most have been peaceful, some have turned violent. At least two synagogues have been vandalised in Los Angeles. We condemn these acts of antisemitism.

 

Following the Chief Rabbi and Rabbi Liss' calls to action, how can we respond? Together with our communities, we've put together a number of events to help us learn more about the issues:

 

• On Sunday at 8pm Rabbi Shlomo Levin of South Hampstead United Synagogue is interviewing the BBC's North America editor, Jon Sopel, to go behind the scenes and learn more about what's happening and why. You can watch live on our YouTube and Facebook pages.
• On Monday at 8pm, Rabbi Hackenbroch of Woodside Park United Synagogue is hosting a panel discussion with other faith leaders to discuss our response as people of faith. It will be broadcast on our Facebook page.
• On Wednesday at 8.15pm, Sutton United Synagogue's Reverend Shmully Aronson is holding an open discussion with some Jews of colour to hear their experiences and to understand their perspective on racism and what the Jewish community needs to do about it. You can watch this too on our Facebook page.

 

In addition, three of our members have written powerful pieces you may wish to read:

 

• Michael Mullings of Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue has written this extraordinary account of what it was like for him growing up as a black teenager and young adult and the discrimination he faced.
• Board of Deputies public affairs director and Golders Green United Synagogue member Phil Rosenberg says that it's time to stand alongside our black friends and neighbours in an article for the Jewish Chronicle.
• South Hampstead's Sophia Ziff has mentored hundreds of young, black women as a teacher and has written a blog for the Jewish News on confronting her white privilege.

 

This is not an email I ever wanted to write. In fact, we'd already planned this week's email which was going to focus on Volunteers' Week and to thank our extraordinary volunteers with messages from the Chief Rabbi and our President, Michael Goldstein. We look forward to thanking this extraordinary group of people next week.

 

In the meantime, stay safe.

 

Shabbat shalom,

 

Richard Verber

Communications Director 

 

This week Rabbi Ben Kurzer shares his favourite proverb...

 

“May your springs spread outwards, streams of water in the streets.” (Proverbs 5:16)

 

One of my favourite millennial words is “influencer”.  A latent word in the English language, its usage has skyrocketed in the last five years as social media personalities use it as a job title! If you’ve not met this word before, an influencer is someone who is seen as extremely influential on social media and is therefore paid to promote products and brands. But the concept goes back much further.

 

In our verse in Mishlei, King Solomon describes that after one imbibes the waters of Torah, “your springs will spread outwards, streams of water in the streets”.

 

The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797, Lithuania) explains compellingly that the two parts of this verse are intentionally distinct: while the first half describes water being pushed outwards (yafutzu...chutzah), the second half is much more passive (barechovot). 

 

A Jew has the ability to teach directly - spreading the water from their wellsprings. But Mishlei is also teaching us that one who lives a life of Torah values simply spills that water into the street, so to speak, indirectly influencing anyone they encounter. In that sense, we aspire to be an "influencer" - one who is able to positively impact the people we meet simply by imbuing the purest Torah ideals.

 

Rabbi Ben Kurzer is the Rabbi of Pinner United Synagogue

This email was sent with love from the United Synagogue.

If you no longer wish to receive this email, please unsubscribe here