Marching With My Rabbi for #BlackLivesMatter
My daughter Laurie and I arrived at the designated meeting point and found a crowd of at least several hundred strong. About 30 members of my synagogue—Beth David in Gladwyne, PA—were there too. The mood was calm and friendly.
The march began and we fell into the sea of humanity walking as one: young and old, skin color of all hues, men in kippot walking alongside men in clerical collars, children on scooters, several people in wheelchairs. White people and black people holding signs with the same message.
“This is awesome,” I breathed to my daughter as we stepped along.
“It sure is,” said a voice next to me. The voice belonged to an African American woman walking with a friend.
I reached out my hand and she clasped it.
“My name is Helene, and this is my daughter Laurie,” I said.
6 comments on “Marching With My Rabbi for #BlackLivesMatter”
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Excellent and I’m so happy this happened. Thanks for sharing this important story. Tikkun Olam indeed. And may we never rest until all brothers live in harmony. Wonderful, Helene.
Thank you so much, Cathy.
Our boys were bar mitzvahed at Beth David. Glad to see you referred to the rabbi as “she” and that members of the congregation are willing to try to understand the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Our sons learned about the increased likelihood of being pulled over for “driving while black” in Lower Merion Township. They pointed out the phenomenon to us.
Addressing legitimate problems would be great but Black Lives Matter fails. It conjoins situations where police addressed dangerous people such as Ferguson, scenarios with private people and no police involvement such as Trayvon Martin, with scenarios where police acted wrongfully- Eric Gardner. It fails to address how vigorous police enforcement in areas like Brooklyn has made so many Afro-American lives better, bringing jobs, growth, and opportunities- while curtailed policing led to poverty and despair in Newark and Baltimore despite 100 million dollar gov programs designed to solve everything.
The movement could address some legitimate problems. With so many Afro-Americans imprisoned, why aren’t prison training programs a priority; wouldn’t programs to teach Java script where there are tremendous shortages make sense. We need leadership but people like Al Sharpton are the problem not the solution
This takes marching to a whole new level, so good! Great to know we have a strong cultural history
It was quite interesting to read this article! Liked it so much! It was great to have found it! Without any hesitation, I’ll be sharing it with others!