Like most other Shabbat mornings, my body did not want to get out of bed. I dragged myself into the shower, threw on some clothes and grabbed my tallit before I rushed out the door. Instead of making a left at my intersection to walk to shul, I continued walking to the T to head to the "Fight Supremacy! Boston Counter-Protest & Resistance Rally".
Two nights before, I attended MCAN's Training for Faith Leaders. I watched videos and heard first person accounts of the fear felt on the streets in Charlottesville last weekend. It was hard to get the neo-Nazi chants of "Jews will not replace us" out of my head. The training equipped us with some basic safety tips and opportunities to find out how to get involved with racial justice work after the rally was over. With "Jews will not replace us" still ringing in my ears, I spent Erev Shabbat at Temple Israel of Boston joining the larger Boston interfaith community, and then with Jewish community for Kabbalat Shabbat Services. The next morning, as I rode on the T inching closer to the Roxbury Station watching other marchers with protest signs fill the train, I couldn't help but wonder if this was an ounce of what my ancestors felt as they suffered through the Holocaust.
Outside of the Roxbury Station, I gathered with other young Jews to make kiddush and motzi. Before we started to march, I paused to attach a "Jewish chaplain" pin to my back, and put on my tallit. As I wrapped myself in my tallit whispering a prayer for safety and peace, I took a deep breath and joined with my friends in the march. My nerves dissipated as the crowds around me joined together in chants of unity and a solidarity with the most marginalized folks among us. As we marched through the streets, we were welcomed with cheers and waves from local Bostonians watching from their windows. Volunteers were handing out bottles of water, medics and lawyers were available in case of emergencies and strangers began to get to know the people they were marching with. I was proud to see so many Jews out on the streets, and to see so many visible clergy living out Heschel's idea of "praying with your feet." Prayer needs to lead to action, or else what's the point?
At the anti-climactic end of the rally, my pent up energy needed an outlet. I was so grateful to wrap up the day with IfNotNow, creating a space of reflection and song. As we sang through some of our favorite songs, I was heartened to see strangers walk up to our group, sit down and smile. The universal language of music created a community out of many people who didn't know each other before the march. This is the power of IfNotNow- creating Jewish space in order to show up for ourselves and others.
No comments:
Post a Comment