Rabbi’s Update 2/20/2026
- rabbi423
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Dear Friends:
My grandfather, after whom I was named, was literally Hymie from Hymietown. When he was born in Ilya, Belarus, he was given the name Chaim Leib, but when his family came to the United States his first name was Anglicized to “Hyman” and he was known by the nickname “Hymie.” And like many Jewish immigrants of that era (he came to the United States in 1910 at age 17) he lived from his arrival in the US until his death in New York City -- which is also where he is buried. So he was, in the words of the Rev. Jesse Jackson who passed away this week, “Hymie” from “Hymietown.”
For those of you who might not remember or never heard about the “Hymietown” incident: in 1984, Jackson was making the first of his two runs at the Democratic nomination for President. He was waiting for a plane at National Airport when he was approached by a reporter from the Washington Post, who like Jackson was African-American. In the course of what Jackson apparently believed was an off-the-record conversation, Jackson said that he would not win the primary in “Hymietown” (New York City) because all “Hymie” (Jews) cared about was Israel. And Jackson was perceived as less-than-friendly to Israel.
The “Hymietown Incident” torpedoed Jackson’s candidacy (although he remained in the race) and caused a severe rupture between the Black and Jewish communities. I had an internship with the Washington office of a major Jewish interfaith relations and social justice organization during the summer of 1984, and I spent most of my effort on programs designed to repair this rupture.
In the subsequent years Jackson did a lot to repair his relationship with the Jewish community, although he was never fully trusted by a lot of Jewish leaders. (I had my own less-than-pleasant interaction with Jackson in 1993.) But there were several good articles about his legacy and his attempts at teshuvah, including one written by a well-known Haredi columnist Rabbi Yair Hoffman.
Rabbi Hoffman’s article”
And two from the Forward:
As Ted Lasso said: “I hope that either all of us or none of us are judged by the actions of our weakest moments, but rather by the strength we show when and if we're given a second chance.”
If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free and the Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian
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