Rabbi Wilfond’s Weekly Message – May 10th 2024
May 9, 2024Rabbi Greenberg’s Weekly Message – May 24th, 2024
May 21, 2024Dear Friends,
Following the Holocaust, Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote these incredible words regarding his initial silence during the Nazi years:
“First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me”
My rabbinical school classmate and dear friend Rabbi Zach Shapiro recently wrote these words inspired by Pastor Niemöller.
“When women didn’t have the right to vote, I spoke out - because that’s what Jews do.
When Jim Crow laws segregated blacks in America, I spoke out - because that’s what Jews do.
When LGBTQ were denied the right to marry, I spoke out - because that’s what Jews do.
When immigrants needed asylum, I spoke out - because that’s what Jews do.
And yet when Jews are being harassed, bullied, and targeted - where are others to speak out?”
Dear World, this is your chance to speak out and make a difference.
Tonight, we celebrate Confirmation. We pray our Confirmands as they go out into the world, will have the courage to speak out and the skills to make a difference.
On a personal note, my last service at the Temple will be June 14th. Please save the date and come so I may thank you in-person for the experiences we have shared during the past four years.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Wilfond