Writings from Rabbi Glickman

“Rabbi Glickman,” said the matter-of-fact voice on the telephone, “this is the Tacoma Police Department. Somebody just set Temple Beth El on fire.” It was around 1:30 a.m., Sunday, September 23^rd, and I was sure I’d heard it wrong.

They couldn’t burn down the Temple - it’s our Jewish home! The Jews of Tacoma have been here for more than a century now, and our building has been standing since the late 1960s. As the only “Jewish address” in Pierce County, Temple is the place where we celebrate births, mourn deaths, and learn the old-new wisdom of our sages. Here we gather as a community during Sabbaths and other festivals, read from our Torah scrolls, and celebrate together. Here we remember our beloved Rabbi Richard Rosenthal, who shared his wisdom, love, and guidance with us for so many years.

We love this building. It is a good, safe place to be

Knowing that somebody actually tried to destroy it angered and frightened me, as it would anger and frighten others in the congregation and across the community in the days do follow. How dare they! What kind of despicable thug would do this?

As I dressed and drove through the darkness toward Temple, my head was spinning with thoughts and feelings. We’ve had vandalism in the past, after all, but this was different. This time, they tried to burn the place down.

“The Temple was on fire,” I thought, “what a horrible loss! Losing the building will be bad enough, but Temple’s libraries contain thousands of volumes, some of which are irreplaceable. And then there are our Torah scrolls - each handwritten on parchment, some almost 200 years old. They are our most sacred objects. The building is filled with artwork and heirlooms and memories of all kinds. What keepsakes did I put in my own study? This can’t be happening!”

Then I thought about Yom Kippur, the most sacred day of the Jewish year, which we would observe in a few days time. Hundreds would come to services - standing room only. Do we ask a nearby church for use of their building? Or do we hold services at Temple anyway, even if means worshipping on the ash heap of what used to be our beloved Jewish home? For the second time in as many weeks, I felt that everything had changed.

Oh, dear God!

I thought about the horror of seeing the Temple with flames leaping from the sanctuary windows. Would we at least be able to retrieve the Torah scrolls? For that matter, would we be able to retrieve anything at all?

On arrival, I was shocked to find the building sitting quietly - no fire engines, no hoses, no leaping flames. It took me a few moments to find the four remaining officers from the police and fire departments waiting for me behind the building.

Fortunately, a neighbor had seen the flames and immediately called 9-1-1. The Tacoma Fire Department came and doused the fire quickly. It could have been horrible, but due the fire department’s quick response, the only damage consisted of two scorched areas on the back wall of the building.

But Temple Beth El still stood strong, the familiar arc of its outline reaching skyward out of the darkness. The great home of Tacoma Jewry had quietly triumphed over a foe far weaker than she.

We know that Tacoma’s citizens support and treasure us. In the past, most closed their eyes when synagogues burned. Here, a neighbor called 9-1-1 right away. In the past, those who tried to hurt Jews could often rely on the support of the church, the police, and other ruling authorities. But here in Tacoma, hundreds in the Faith Community have lit candles in protest of this despicable act, the police are trying to catch the arsonists, and the city government stands fully behind us. In years past, those who hated Jews received warm welcomes in even the uppermost echelons of society. But in Tacoma, Mayor Mike Crowley is on our side. Tacoma is a good place with good people, and we know they won’t stand for this.

Most important, the age-old spirit of the Jewish people remains undaunted here. Had the scheme to destroy Temple Beth El succeeded, we still would have gathered atop the ash heap Thursday to observe Yom Kippur. That’s what we Jews have always done, and that is what we would do now, as well. The malice would not have destroyed us; it would have only made us stronger.

So, to the attackers, I invite you to come out of the darkness where you lurk and talk to us if you’d like. Whoever you are, you have attacked an indestructible people, and you did it in a community that will fight your malevolence, so that Tacoma’s kindness and love can continue to prevail.

I am angry now, but I am hopeful, too, for I have also seen human majesty at its finest this week. It makes me proud to be a citizen of this great community, proud to the rabbi of Temple Beth El, and proud to be a human being, too.

No, Temple Beth El wasn’t on fire last Sunday. But flames have burned since then - the festival candles of Yom Kippur, the vigil lights of hundreds of loving Tacomans, and the indestructible spirit of goodness that burns within so many of us.

Those flames are the good kind. May they always burn brightly.

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