I made a decision this summer, to watch less news on TV and
on-line.
It’s not that I do not want to know the news, or that I
don’t care about global and local issues. It’s more that most televised and
internet news has become so polarized, and I have become angry at the misuse of
language. This partisanship has blinded these outlets, and ultimately the
people they serve to what is usually a more subtle and nuanced truth.
News abhors nuance.
When I speak in synagogue about current events, politics, or
issues, instead of trying to impose my politics and perspective on everyone in
the congregation, I try to express my views and lead the community by sharing
the Jewish vocabulary that I believe reflects how our tradition understands and
interprets the issue at hand.
Here are some Jewish observations and lessons from and for
the people in Ferguson, Missouri
1) Racism
and the struggle for civil rights are not a remote part of our history. They
continue to define our country, its complexion, and its social progress. We
will certainly have different ideas about why these challenges and bigotries remain
and about what should be done to help correct them. But there can be no denying
that there are two different experiences for white people and for black people.
And we can never hope to be “One Nation, under God” so long as we do not share
a common experience of the American dream.
2) The
police are neither good nor bad. Like everyone else, in every other occupation
and institution, there are good and noble law enforcement officers and there
are thugs with badges. I have LEOs among my family and friends and have very
high regard for the role and challenges they face on our behalf. Judaism
teaches that we must have regard for those who enforce the law, and must stand
up for them and empower them to fulfill the agency we ask them to undertake. At
the same time, I know that police officers are human, and as humans, they are
flawed, and we must not simply hand over blind trust and authority to them.
Even cops know that you have to keep a civilian eye on the cops.
3) America
is deeply religious. The daily stories in the news are peppered with Christian
expressions, the community leadership freely expresses their prayers, and
includes many church leaders, and the demonstrators can be seen praying
spontaneously and deeply, expressing their anger and sadness to God. While
Judaism often focuses on fixed and standardized prayer, I am reminded of the
power of prayer to express our deepest concerns and emotions. If you feel it,
pray it.
4) Peace
and Justice. When Captain Ron Johnson spoke of the priority of restoring peace
and order to the streets, he was greeted with shouts from those assembled to
prioritize “justice” over “peace.” This reflects an understandable frustration
on the part of the black residents of Ferguson,
but I believe it runs counter to the shared Jewish/Christian way of justice. In
the Torah, and in Jewish life, “Justice” is not a thing that can be given.
Justice is a disciplined process that must unfold according to the law . . .
always. It is precisely when we feel frustrated, angry, vengeful, and
embattled, that we must NOT set aside the process of law due to both the police
officer and the young man whom he shot. Neither of them is served by simply
chanting “arrest him.” Justice demands, not that we rush to judgement of guilt
and innocence, but that we presume innocence, and examine the facts. The bottom
line is we don’t know what happened between Michael Brown and the police
officer who shot him. There are many possible scenarios, some that justify the
actions of the officer, and some that do not. Even more precious than peace OR
justice is truth, and the truth can only be distilled through a deliberative
process.
I hear some commentators remind the
audience, that “it is not only this particular case” that is driving the
protests. I am sure this is true. Generations of racism, hundreds of instances
of police brutality, and years of disenfranchisement, must be addressed. But
NOT in this case. This police officer is not personally responsible for all
those decades of injustice, and prosecuting him to avenge those wrongs is
neither just nor helpful. If he is to be charged, for the trial to bring any
justice and relief, there must be clear boundaries to what constitutes a valid
consideration and what does not. If any of us stood trial for murder, none of
us would want the “sins of the fathers” to be called as testimony against us.
Perhaps we can best respond to this grave challenge by
rededicating our vision, renewing our commitment to: OPEN our eyes to the
racism and brutality that can be the daily experience of African Americans.
LOOK closely at the underlying causes and honestly work to address the
fundamental problems in the communities most afflicted by violence. EXAMINE the
facts of this case without prejudice or quarter to vengeance. LIFT up our eyes
and SEE the face of God in the faces of others.
