arrested development, the rabbis of pittsburgh and talkin' about a revolution of values in solidarity

I have been thinking about the opening cut from the 1992 Spike Lee film, "Malcolm X" - by Arrested Development - called "Revolution."

It is still brilliant. Poignant. And timely. I heard it in my head last night while reading the words of the open letter the rabbis of Bend the Arc sent President Trump. (check it out @ https://www.bendthearc.us/open_
letter_to_president_trump) Their well-reasoned yet passionate words resonate with the vibe of Arrested Development's anthem. It reads as follows:

President Trump:

Yesterday, a gunman slaughtered 11 Americans during Shabbat morning services. We mourn with the victims’ families and pray for the wounded. Here in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood, we express gratitude for the first responders and for the outpouring of support from our neighbors near and far. We are committed to healing as a community while we recommit ourselves to repairing our nation.

For the past three years your words and your policies have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement. You yourself called the murderer evil, but yesterday’s violence is the direct culmination of your influence.

President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you fully denounce white nationalism.

Our Jewish community is not the only group you have targeted. You have also deliberately undermined the safety of people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Yesterday’s massacre is not the first act of terror you incited against a minority group in our country.

President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you stop targeting and endangering all minorities.
The murderer’s last public statement invoked the compassionate work of the Jewish refugee service HIAS at the end of a week in which you spread lies and sowed fear about migrant families in Central America. He killed Jews in order to undermine the efforts of all those who find shared humanity with immigrants and refugees.

President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you cease your assault on immigrants and refugees.

The Torah teaches that every human being is made b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God.

This means all of us.

In our neighbors, Americans, and people worldwide who have reached out to give our community strength, there we find the image of God. While we cannot speak for all Pittsburghers, or even all Jewish Pittsburghers, we know we speak for a diverse and unified group when we say:

President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you commit yourself to compassionate, democratic policies that recognize the dignity of all of us.

This is a call for a revolution of values. A revolution of attitudes. A revolution of vision. And a revolution of ethics. It will not happen simply because these bold rabbis seized the moment and gave expression to their grief and anger. But it is an important start. Note that the rabbis align themselves with others who have experienced violence, discrimination, shaming and oppression: people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Note, too, that they do not equivocate in calling out the President's fear mongering:  The murderer’s last public statement invoked the compassionate work of the Jewish refugee service HIAS at the end of a week in which you spread lies and sowed fear about migrant families in Central America. He killed Jews in order to undermine the efforts of all those who find shared humanity with immigrants and refugees. And finally note that the rabbis understand that their faith and the common good link the personal to the political: The Torah teaches that every human being is made b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. This means all of us.

In the early days of the Third Reich, as Nazi leaders and sympathizers consolidated their power and usurped the moral authority of the Christian Church, Bonhoeffer was equally unequivocal: “Only he who cries [out] for the Jews may sing Gregorian chant.” In yesterday's Guardian there was an article by Michael Segalov entitled, "The Pittsburgh Attack Affects Jews World Wide." Two quotes are worth sharing: the first clarifies the context of the attacks and the second speaks to a spirituality of resistance:

Number One: The reality is an attack like the one in Pittsburgh has seemed impending for some time. Antisemitism – both dog-whistle and explicit – has made a return to the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic. From conspiracy theories to straight-up fascism, antisemites are increasingly emboldened. Whatever one believes about Trump’s position on Jewish people, one can’t deny that he has been content to indulge antisemitic views. The president has regularly courted the support of far-right groups including neo-Nazis, and was disgracefully slow to disown support offered to him by the likes of the KKK’s David Duke. He told a Jewish Republican crowd: you won’t support me because I don’t want your money; he tweeted Hillary Clinton next to a star of David and cash. When fascists and anti-racists marched through Charlottesville? He said both sides were to blame.

Number Two: Normally, when a Jewish person dies, he wrote, we say a prayer: Baruch dayan ha’emet – blessed is the true judge. It’s an acknowledgement of the fact we understand that God, a higher being, works in ways we cannot understand. It’s a nod to the notion that however painful our grief is, the ways of life and death go beyond our understanding. But when Jews are killed by antisemites in attacks such as the one in Pittsburgh, there’s an alternative phrase it’s customary to recite: Hashem yikkom dama – may God avenge their blood. To my mind this is because violent acts of hatred can’t be written off simply as something that elicits sadness: rather we must respond directly to ensure such horrors can’t be normalised lest they happen again and again.It’s not a matter of simple vengeance – the rule of law will ensure that the killer is held to account. To truly be vengeful in these circumstances is to continue to be unapologetic in practising and celebrating what the far right attacks our communities for: whether that be our religion, our skin colour, our sexuality, our gender or our race. But to do so, free from fear of violence or persecution, minorities rely on more than silent support. Jews make up just 0.2% of the global population. To take on antisemitism – and to protect ourselves in a time of rising hatred and danger – we’ll rely on more than condolences and otherwise empty words.

A friend from Canada recently wondered aloud how it can be that the US President is still in office: after almost two years of official lies, slander and emotional manipulation - and a previous year of ugly campaign rhetoric - the question is right on the money. At the same time, however, there is a world wide movement of right-wing nativism that has captured parts of Eastern Europe, Brazil, Italy and even Ontario. This movement is wreaking havoc in the UK as well as Germany and Sweden, too.

That's what elevates the rabbi's letter to revolutionary status: it calls out the hatred, names names and invites nonviolent, public resistance to the current regime. I am not one to throw around revolutionary slogans, rhetoric or ideas easily. Been there. Done that. Rather, my heart looks for authentic game changers - and I sense this could be one. Segalov closes his reflection with a call to action that cuts deeper than solidarity vigils (as important as they are for us all) and warrants our supportive action: 

To take on antisemitism – and to protect ourselves in a time of rising hatred and danger – we’ll rely on more than condolences and otherwise empty words. That means refusing to excuse hatred for political expediency; it means mobilising when the far right marches in emboldened efforts to renew its support. It means not turning moments like this into debates about Palestine. It means linking the dots and seeing the correlation between all oppressed groups being vilified, abused and attacked. Diaspora Jewish communities understand how precarious our safety feels wherever we find ourselves; centuries of pogroms, assaults and state-sanctioned genocide ensure we’ll never be able to forget... Defeating racism takes time and perseverance. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours; demand better from our political leaders and protect each other from what may next come. It’s this that will avenge the lives lost so grotesquely in Pittsburgh on Shabbat.