RON KAMPEAS, JTA
OUR COMMUNITY ON THE COVER
Shlomo Noginski, a rabbi who was stabbed in Boston, speaks to a rally against antisemitism at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., July 11, 2021.
Learning to Lead Antisemitism rally in Washington gave this father and daughter lessons in how to combat hatred.
E
arlier this month plan to attend an upcomI received an ing rally in Washington email from Rabbi D.C., representing the Asher Lopatin, executive JCRC and Detroit’s Jewish director of the Jewish community. Community Relations The flyer he sent, billed Bryan Council (JCRC) and “No Fear: A Rally in Gottlieb the rabbi of Kehillat Etz Solidarity with the Jewish Contributing Writer Chayim, our synagogue People,” was spearheaded in Huntington Woods, by Elisha Wiesel, son of the informing congregants of his late Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel,
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and hoped to gather Jews of all stripes in a full-throated demonstration of Jewish unity, denouncement of antisemitism and reaffirming the ideals of Zionism. “Let us continue to work toward more Jewish unity as we stand up to antisemitism and fight for the safety and security of Israel,” Lopatin wrote in closing.
Scheduled for July 11, and within eyeshot of the U.S. Capitol, Wiesel helped corral a cross-section of more than 100 Jewish and interfaith organizations that cut across the political and religious spectrum. Scheduled speakers included television host Meghan McCain, Erika Moritsugu, deputy assistant to President Joe Biden, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue and more than a dozen others, including Wiesel. I don’t consider myself “political,” but the rally’s intent resonated with me on several levels, particularly its call for civic engagement. I hold the construct of civic engagement to be on par with, and complementary to, every American’s obligation to be well-informed on issues. Each is critical in sustaining our democracy and safeguarding the freedoms our country bestows upon its citizens. Each
