Rabbi’s Update 6/6/2025

Dear Friends:

Today is the 85th anniversary of a tragic day in Jewish history and a shameful day in American history. On June 6, 1939, the SS St. Louis headed back towards Europe with more than 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. The St. Louis left Hamburg in May 1939 with 937 passengers who had valid landing permits for Cuba. When the ship arrived in Havana, however, all but a handful of the refugees were denied disembarkation and the ship sat in Havana harbor for a few days while negotiations continued over the fate of the refugees. 

On June 2 the St. Louis departed Havana and headed north towards the United States, arriving so close to Miami that those on board could see the lights of the city. But President Roosevelt refused to allow the ship to land and deployed the Coast Guard to make sure that no refugees jumped off the ship to try and swim to freedom. On June 6, the captain and crew concluded that neither Cuba, the United States, nor any other country would accept the refugees and so the St. Louis headed back to Europe. Of the 937 refugees aboard the ship, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that over 250 were eventually murdered during the Shoah.

B’chol dor va-dor -- in every generation. Recent and ongoing refusals by our country to admit refugees fleeing persecution and murder remind us of the St. Louis and have motivated my own activities as a member of our movement’s Social Justice Commission and of the HIAS Rabbinic Cabinet. As Hillel taught us in Pirkei Avot, “what is hateful to you, do not do to another.”

At the same time, the violent antisemitic murders at the Capital Jewish Museum and the literal burning of Jews peacefully protesting for the Israelis being held hostage in Gaza remind us of why Israel is necessary, despite its many faults. Had there been a State of Israel in 1939, our people would not have had to hope against hope for other countries to accept Jewish refugees. They could instead have gone home to Israel, as waves of Jewish refugees have done since 1948.

A couple of other Israel-related notes:

The preliminary results of the elections for the World Zionist Congress are in and our movement’s Mercaz slate did exceptionally well, getting 90 percent more votes than last time around in 2025. The results are considered preliminary since there are still unresolved issues of irregularities and fraud in the voting and therefore the number of seats have not been allocated yet. But a yashar koach is in order for all of those who worked so hard to get out the vote, including our own Mercaz captain Stu Rutchik. A chart comparing the performances of all the slates in 2020 and 2025 can be accessed here. 

This is a time of upheaval in Israel and the Middle East (although there is rarely a week that goes by without that statement being true). Next Thursday night at 6:30 pm there will be a presentation at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase by Israeli journalist Tal Shalev and former State Department and Defense Department official Ilan Goldenberg. For more information and to register, click here.

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 or 301-977-0768 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