Rabbi Joel Alter instructed the nearly three hundred people in the audience to join hands at the community gathering Monday at Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, in Glendale.
They reached out to those around them, remembering the eleven people killed in the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue Saturday in Pittsburgh.
“I wish we didn’t have to come,” said Alter in his opening remarks to the crowd.
On Saturday, at the Tree of Life Synagogue, a gunman opened fire during morning services.
“Who knows eleven? Tonight, we all know eleven,” said Alter.
His words drew murmurs of agreement from the crowd.
“God did not give us bullet proof vests,” said Alter.
The gathering was filled with prayers, singing, and uniting against what many speakers deemed the hate and horror of the world.
People of all faiths made up the crowd. Reverend David Simmons spoke on behalf of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. Simmons asked about 100 members of clergy from many religions to stand up and be recognized, to prove that there are many standing with the Jewish people.
Too many times in history, the Jewish people have been alone. You are not alone tonight.
Reverend David Simmons
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and Representative Gwen Moore were also in attendance.
The El Malei Rachamim, or the memorial prayer, was said, with each victim’s name read out loud.
“Being a bystander is not an option,” said Hannah Rosenthal, CEO and President of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
“We are all intertwined in fighting.”
Saturday’s events left many within the Milwaukee Jewish Community heartsick and horrified. For many, like Sami Stein-Avner, Executive Director of Tikkun Ha-Ir, a pluralistic Jewish organization, the effects are personal.
“I’ve been following this since the moment it broke, and first of all I have to say how close to home this hits,” says Stein-Avner.
She remembers the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., in 2012, and how the Milwaukee Jewish community stood with those who were mourning. Stein-Avner says that is one of the most important things now.
Hearing from others outside the Jewish Community, that they do not stand for this hate,that they stand with us.
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation released a statement in which they said that “words are insufficient,” when responding to the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
They go on to reassure the Jewish community of the ongoing efforts to keep Jews safe in Milwaukee.
“We have no reason to believe that our local community is at risk,” the statement said.
“However, from moments after the attack, we have been in close contact with law enforcement at all levels. We have increased patrols and police presence at synagogues and other Jewish institutions.”
At the Monday gathering, security was high, with police officers stationed outside and throughout the synagogue.
It is simply unconscionable for Jews to be targeted during worship on a Sabbath morning, and unthinkable that it would happen in the United States of America in this day and age.
John Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League
The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting is not an isolated anti-Semitic event however. The Anti-Defamation League reported that in 2017 alone, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States rose nearly 60 percent.
Anti-Semitism and the Midterm Election
The rise in anti-Semitism and white supremacy since President Donald Trump took office is an issue that the larger Milwaukee Jewish population is very aware of.
“There are a few things that Jews are particularly concerned about: The rise in hatefulness, discrimination, and bigotry. I think there is real alarm, and I think a lot of Jews are really concerned about efforts to sideline or harm certain parts of our community,” said Elana Kahn, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
In early 2017, the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Whitefish Bay, received three different bomb threats within six weeks.
Stein-Avner knew of many people who had children at the Jewish Community Center when the threats were made and notes how terrifying it was.
“There’s definitely been a heightened awareness of anti-Semitic activity, of how do you walk the line of being open to all opinions, but also holding fast to the tenets of Judaism. A lot of core Jewish values talk about welcoming a stranger, that talk about loving your neighbor, and trying to lead a life guided by those values, and also live in a country where the president is very much, say, the opposite of those things,” said Stein-Avner.
There’s that awareness, and it’s not until it strikes super personal, that it gets to fear.
Sami Stein-Avner
Noah Kuchin, the Social Impact Coordinator at Uri L’Tzedek, a Jewish Orthodox Social Justice Group based out of New York, finds it most disturbing that the rise in anti-Semitism often goes unchecked in the digital age.
“I, personally, am very troubled by it,” said Kuchin.
Rabbi Toba Schaller, who serves as Rabbi-Director of Lifelong Learning for Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun in River Hills, has known anti-Semitism from a very young age.
“I have a different experience than a lot of other rabbis,” said Schaller.
“I grew up in a small town in Texas where there really were not a lot of other Jews and diversity was not always a value of the people. And so, I think I grew up in a world where I was very aware that there was still anti-Semitism. I grew up in a place where there was an active KKK presence. So, I think I always knew that it was out there.”
Charlee Vrtjak a Jewish student at UWM who has spent time in Israel, has also experienced anti-Semitism firsthand.
“One of the worst things I think anyone has ever said to me was they wished me, and the rest of my people, died in the Holocaust,” said Vrtjak.
However, Vrtjak does not allow for those issues to stop her from identifying herself as Jewish.
In August of 2017, a “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Va., and its anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi rhetoric struck a chord in Vrtjak.
She took to Facebook, posting about how fearful she was of what her world had become.
“It is scary to know that there are many people like that in bulk. They were threatening people for what? A religion they do not even have to believe?”
The fear that Vrtjak may have felt a year ago is not as strong today, although she still sees a heightened sense of awareness.
Schaller looks throughout the past and sees a common theme.
When the going gets rough, people need someone to blame, and the blame has fallen on Jews for a lot of history.
Rabbi Toba Schaller
Kahn sees the heightened awareness of anti-Semitism as a result of those in leadership positions doing nothing.
“I think there is a greater sense of insecurity because we’ve seen a permissiveness to white supremacy coming straight from the President, and we’ve seen it in a rise of incidents with a sort of boldness about hate that is really shocking,” said Kahn.
Stein-Avner echoes Kahn’s remarks.
“What’s crazy is, anti-Semitism never really goes away but that it tends to rear it’s head when somebody at the top is not afraid of bigoted remarks,” said Stein-Avner.
“It’s not something that belongs in this country.”
Kahn receives reports daily of anti-Semitic rhetoric in the Milwaukee area.
“There’s been absolutely a rise,” said Kahn.
“There are things happening all the time. Generally, the Jewish community in Milwaukee, this is a good place. But there has definitely been a rise in incidents and this year looks to be no calmer.”
Despite it all, Kahn believes firmly that when it comes to voting in the Jewish community, she has found that the process is a high priority for people and they will always turn out to vote.
“I can’t think of anyone who isn’t planning to vote.”
A “Vote like your rights depend on it” sticker adorns the office door of Kahn, in the Jewish Museum Milwaukee.
A few floors beneath Kahn’s office, visitors have scribbled and scrawled their responses to a prompt on a whiteboard regarding the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The prompt is a part of a larger exhibit at the museum.
An important theme among Jews is presented through that sticker and whiteboard: they care about the United States democracy, and they care about the November midterm elections.
“I took my kids to vote with me as soon as I could, at least for the big elections,” said Kahn.
“I would bring my kids in and show them the ballot and, usually, when they were little, we would go out for bagels after, just so they know that it’s a great privilege to live in a country where we get to be part of determining what our society is,” she said.
“And voting is an essential part of being a citizen.”
According to the Steinhardt Social Research Institute’s American Jewish Population Project, there are approximately 34,700 Jews living in Wisconsin. In the Milwaukee area alone, there are 25,300 Jews, and Kahn stands as a representative for many of them through her role at the Jewish Community Relations Council.
“We build and reflect consensus in the broader Jewish community. Our purpose is to build strategic relations to protect and defend Jews individually and collectively,” she said.
Part of Kahn’s job includes convening the Jewish community to determine which issues are important to them, and, how to best represent the Milwaukee Jewish population’s thoughts and position on those issues.
I think Jewish voters in Milwaukee, in many ways, reflect other voters in America.I think we are, as Americans, now divided along these artificially clear partisan lines.
Elana Kahn
And just like many other Americans, the issues that are important to Jews vary.
Other Issues of Importance to Milwaukee Jews
Jaylyn Fahey, a Jewish student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), sees important issues that are pulling her to the polls in November centered around animal, child, and sexual abuse, as well as a shift of those in power.
“It scares me that more people like Trump and Kavanaugh will keep getting elected into office,” said Fahey.
Stein-Avner’s issues of importance stem from those that are important to her organization, Tikkun Ha-Ir. The organization is devoted to building a more just Milwaukee through service and advocacy. These issues include hunger, homelessness, housing issues, safety net programs, and the Farm Bill.
The Farm Bill is of particular interest to Stein-Avner and Tikkun Ha-Ir due to the organization’s focus on food justice and safety in Milwaukee. Tikkun Ha-Ir works alongside local farmers markets, food pantries, and with the Milwaukee Women’s Correctional Center to take discarded food and turn it into “eater friendly” food, according to Stein-Avner.
Vrtjak is passionate about all issues pertaining to social justice.
“I’m also mortified of sexual assault, but that’s because I’m a woman and the world we are living in feels like it’s very anti-women sometimes,” said Vrtjak.
Kahn hears about issues that are important to the Milwaukee Jewish community on a larger scale.
Immigration rights, a strong safety net, voting rights, criminal justice reform, education, the Supreme Court, Israel, and the rise in white supremacy are of concern for the larger Jewish population in Milwaukee, according to Kahn.
Kahn also sees the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a point of interest for many Jews because of how government officials are addressing the issue.
The separation of church and state is a recurring issue that Kahn hears about every year from community members.
“I think that the blurring of lines between faith and government is disconcerting for many Jews because we know if there is going to be any slide into having government sponsored religion, it’s not going to be good for the minorities, or the populations that aren’t a part of that majority group,” she said.
“Sometimes it looks like people are worried about Christmas trees. I don’t think it is Christmas trees that people are worried about. I think its prayer in school and being penalized for practicing religion. And I still, every single year, get calls from people who say that they weren’t allowed to take off work, or their kid wasn’t in school on this Jewish holiday and is, essentially, being penalized.”
The Mellman Group found through a poll, done on behalf of the Jewish Electorate Institute that 75 percent of American Jews overwhelmingly disapprove of President Trump.
Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish organization, wrote a letter to President Trump following the attack in Pittsburgh, demanding a change.
“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,” said the letter.
The organization made it clear to President Trump that he was not welcome in Pittsburgh until there was a change.
“President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you commit yourself to compassionate, democratic polices that recognize the dignity of all of us.”
Kuchin agrees that there is a need for change.
“I think on a national level, in our national government, things really need to change in order for us to progress as a society,” said Kuchin.
Kuchin, believes immigration has not been handled correctly by the current administration. Uri L’Tzedek is focused on the issues of fostering and adoption, homelessness, and serving vulnerable populations.
Kuchin also notes a divide that has occurred since the 2016 election in the Orthodox Jewish community.
“We’ve seen, at least in our Orthodox community, that there’s been a little bit of a fragmentation actually of people in the Jewish community who have really strong ties to Israel, and that also means that they are aligning more with Conservative and Far-Right values,” said Kuchin.
“And we’ve also seen the trend with those people who have kind of gone the other way and taken a little bit more of a, we like to say, social justice look at things, and maybe realized that what is going on, even though it might be in the name of Israel, is not the best way to go about things.”
Within Wisconsin, the races for governor and U.S. Senate are of interest to the Jewish population, as well as candidates like Dan Kohl, who is running for Wisconsin’s Sixth Congressional district and who is a member of the Jewish community and nephew to longtime Democratic Senator Herb Kohl.
The Jewish community has consistently had a solid voter turnout for elections, something that Kahn believes stems from voting being seen as a Jewish value. According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, it is estimated that almost 85 percent of American Jews voted in the 2016 election.
The American Jewish Population Project found through 2015 data that around 47.1 percent of Milwaukee Jews identify as Democrat, 17.5 percent identify as Republican, and 35.4 percent identify as Other.
Kahn believes that voting is an American Jewish value.
Kuchin, of Uri L’Tzedek, also sees voting as highly important within the Jewish community, and his organization is pushing hard to get Jewish voters to head to the polls.
“We’re more than going to vote, we’re getting people to go out there, we’re educating people on why it’s important from a Jewish lens, and from an Orthodox Jewish lens,” said Kuchin.
“Yes, we will be there in full force in November.”
Back on the local level, Stein-Avner has encountered much of the same.
“We’ve heard from various places in the Jewish community that there is a lot of enthusiasm around voting and making sure that all people in Milwaukee have their voice heard through voting,” said Stein-Avner.
Stein-Avner, who is registered to work as a poll worker come November 6, acknowledges that voter engagement has been a big piece of Tikkun Ha-Ir’s mission.
“For voting, we spearheaded an initiative in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council and another organization called the National Council of Jewish Women’s, their Milwaukee chapter, and in partnership with ‘Souls to the Polls,’ which is a local organization spearheaded by Pastor Gregory Lewis, and a network of 80-100 local churches,” said Stein-Avner.
“They’re working to increase voter turnout in their communities, which happen to be low-income, mostly African-American communities, that had the lowest voter turnout in the state in the 2016 election.”
Resilience and Religion
Jewish people in Milwaukee are still focused on November’s midterm elections, despite the attack on Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue this past weekend.
Kuchin sees the issues and actions of the Jewish people, despite different denominations, as a way of uniting in strength.
“I think what is important for us to remember is there might be a denominational prefix before [us] but we’re not that different,” he said.
“We’re here because we believe in the teachings of the Torah. We share a lot. When we actually work together, what we care about is a lot of the same things.”
November’s election comes at the end of the Jewish high holiday season, notes Kahn.
“We have this process we call Teshuva, which is getting forgiveness for the ways that we’ve gone wrong, and getting a fresh start,” she said.
“And, so I think that sort of picture of the world, if we can go through a process of owning our mistakes, and atoning for them, that we do deserve the freedom to move forward and make better choices, I think that’s an issue that resonates with American Jews.”
Kuchin and Stein-Avner stand strong in the belief of Tikkun Olam, the idea of repairing the world through acts of kindness.
As Rabbi Alter said, “And so, we allow ourselves to hope.”