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| June 16 |
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Watching the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, the Christians and Muslims in Bosnia, the Muslims and Jews in Palestine destroy each other in the name of the same God can turn even the most sentimental idealist into a hardened cynic. Under the cloud of such horrifying realities, it is a wonder how people can ever set foot in a church, synagogue or mosque again. But the human spirit is a wondrous, supple thing. Squelched, squeezed and trampled upon, it keeps coming back in surprising and inspiring ways. A few winters back, in the small university town of Bozeman, Montana, a manifestation of this spirit emerged to soften even the most pessimistic of people. As reported in too few papers, Bozeman’s Jewish community was under siege from a few folk who wanted to kindle the fires of hatred among the citizenry. Using the ancient tactic of divide and conquer, these hate-mongers sought to isolate the Jews of Bozeman from their neighbors and friends. They began their campaign during Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Bricks were thrown threw windows displaying menorahs, those lovely little candelabra that proclaim the joy of Hanukkah to the outside world. It soon became clear that such a display marked one’s home for harassment and violence. What happened next was a witness to the wonder and power of the human spirit. Concerned citizens, recognizing the potential for division in their lovely city, banded together against the anti-Semitic activities. Their tactic was brilliant and a helpful guide to the rest of us wondering what we can do to stop the insidious progress of hate. All over Bozeman, menorahs began to appear in windows. Not just in the homes of Jews but Christians as well...and non-Christians and non-Jews, of believers and non-believers, friends and strangers. It was an act of solidarity against hatred. It was a proclamation of unity. It was a beautiful thing. Shortly after World War II, Martin Niemoller, a German Lutheran pastor active in the Underground, wrote of what happens when the spirit that binds us together as human beings is ignored. "They came for the Jews but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t a Jew. They came for the Gypsies but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t a Gypsy. They came for the homosexuals but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t a homosexual. They came for the mentally retarded but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t mentally retarded. Finally they came for me and no one said anything because no one was left to speak." Our greatest enemy is tribalism, that destructive force that says, "My way is the only way." It comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes...religious, cultural, political. Tribalism’s intent is always to destroy diversity. Our best defense is what we have in common. Our humanity. |
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