Writings from Rabbi Glickman

“Why do people do these things?”

We at Temple Beth El have been asking that question lately in response to two recent acts of vandalism at our synagogue. First, on Friday, September 15, we discovered that somebody had poured a grass-killing chemical over a small patch of our lawn, browning-out a swastika and the word “Rubin.” Then, when our staff arrived the following Monday morning, they found my car, which I had left in the parking lot overnight, defaced with several spray-painted swastikas.

Our feelings have ranged from fear to anger to dismissiveness. Although I would never presume to tell anyone how they should respond, I would like to share a few random thoughts:

· Vandalism never achieves its aim, for it only motivates a community to remember why it exists. Synagogues exist to provide the Jewish people with opportunities to gather for study, worship, and improving the world however we can. Thus, while raising the level of security at Temple, we continue to study, worship God, and strive to better the world. With these goals guiding us, members of Temple Beth El are and will always be far stronger than anyone who sneaks out at night with a can of spray-paint or a bottle of herbicide

· We are Jews not to spite these vandals, but despite them.

· Vandalism tends to be the act of the weak-kneed and the spineless - people who may have an agenda, but lack the courage to advocate it in the presence of others. Here, both incidents took place in the dark of night, the time when cowards lurk.

· The police are calling this event a “hate crime.” I have never liked that term, for we just don’t know why these hooligans defaced our property. Perhaps they hated us; more likely, they hated themselves. Perhaps they are misguided teenagers, trying to get their friends’ attention. Perhaps they are ideologically motivated racists, bent on a warped vision of a “racially pure” society. Since we don’t know what motivated them, calling what they did a hate crime would be, at best, premature. Ultimately, their motivation is irrelevant - the crimes were evil because they defaced property.

· Millions of Jews and non-Jews were brutally murdered under the banner of the swastika during the Holocaust; some in our congregation lost their entire families. The vandals’ choice of this symbol was thus particularly cruel and despicable.

· I thank God that the vandals didn’t destroy anything important. Between the times when the two events occurred, over 500 people - including the 200 children in our Religious School - visited the building safely. They, rather than grass and car-paint, are the most precious components of Temple.

· I thank God for our friends throughout Tacoma and Pierce County - particularly the Christian community. So many reached out to us! When Rev. David Alger, of Associated Ministries, informed others of the vandalism, many churches and their clergy immediately deluged us with letters, calls, gifts, and other heartfelt signs of support. It was nothing short of overwhelming.

· I thank God for my wife, Debbie. I was away when this happened, and she responded with courage and dignity. She is an eishet chayil, a woman of valor, and I am proud to be her husband.

· I thank God for the members and staff of Temple Beth El. This Jewish journey takes us along an often-bumpy road, but they consistently remember where we are going, despite the potholes. They have been supportive of my family and me, and I am honored to serve as their rabbi.

· I thank God for my 20 classmates in the Tacoma-Pierce County American Leadership Forum. I was with them when I learned of the vandalism, and their support of the Temple and of me was uplifting and comforting. To the extent that they are leaders in our community, we are in very good hands.

· I thank God to be an American. Yes, we have our problems, but here government and society are showing themselves to be intolerant of bigotry, and it reminds me that America is a fundamentally good and decent nation.

Last Saturday, we Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Tomorrow night marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, our Day of Atonement, the most solemn event on the Jewish calendar. During these holidays and the ten days that separate them, we Jews concentrate on atonement - bettering ourselves however we can.

One way we will do that this year is by shifting focus:

How can people do these things? We don’t yet know, but the important question is how our community responds when they do. We in Tacoma, I think, should hold our heads high. We’re doing a very good job.

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