Dear Friends:
I moved from York, PA, to Baltimore, MD on September 12, 2001. I had left my pulpit in York and started a think tank job in Baltimore at the beginning of August but I commuted from York, which is less than an hour from Baltimore, for the first few weeks. So it happened that on September 11 I was in my soon to be vacated apartment in York finishing some last minute packing.
My father was retired but his wife was still working and her office was in the World Financial Center, across the street from the World Trade Center. Shortly after the first plane hit, my father called me and I turned on the television to watch the coverage -- and thus it happened that I was watching the Today Show on NBC when the second plane hit. Like thousands of other New Yorkers, my stepmother, covered in dust that was probably mixed with human remains, walked along the Hudson River uptown and then across the bridge from Manhattan to Queens. My brother stood outside his office in midtown Manhattan and watched the second plane hit and the towers collapse; he lost many friends and clients who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on floors 101 through 105 of the North Tower. The rabbi of the Reform synagogue in York phoned me and we quickly put together a memorial service that evening which we led together. May we always honor the memories of those who were lost that day in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, PA.
None of us who were teens or adults on September 11, 2001 will ever forget that day, what we were doing when we heard and how we reacted. But besides 9/11, I’d like us to remember 9/12, how for a little while we forgot or laid aside all of the differences of race, class, religion, politics, etc. that divided us and remembered that we were all Americans. For a little while we treated each other a bit more kindly because we were all in this together.
In the last few days I have heard or seen a number of prominent historians who say our country is as divided as it has ever been in its history with the exception of right before and during the Civil War. Israel is also extremely divided with polls indicating that 70 percent of Israelis feel that Prime Minister Netanyahu is unfit to govern and should resign, leave politics, and call for new elections immediately. Last night, if you heard Yizhar Hess’s talk, he offered us some hope and a way forward that might unite the vast majority of Israeli society. Can we bridge the divides in our society and unite once the upcoming elections are over? Ken y’hi ratzon -- may this be God’s -- and our -- will.
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
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