May 11

There are two main things I want to highlight in my email to you this week:

A great concert that will be held at the church tomorrow (Saturday) and an important letter that Rabbi Robert Haas wrote to his congregation that I thought would be meaningful for us, too. 

First, the Concert. 

Once again, the members of Spectra Choir will be bringing their wonderful voices into the incredible acoustics of Asbury's sanctuary. I can't think of a better experience to have on Mother's Day weekend than listening to the songs of this all treble-voice choir.

Please note that the time of the concert tomorrow is 2:00 pm. (I believe I saw some publicity that said 4:00. But it is at 2:00.)

One of the pieces that will be sung is an original song specifically written for the choir by award winning composer, Marybeth Kurnat, who will be flying from Chicago to hear its first performance. Described as "transcendent" and "otherworldly," Marybeth's works are strongly influenced by her musical roots as a jazz saxophonist. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Livestream tickets are also available. Here is Spectra's website for tickets and for more information: https://www.spectrachoir.com/

Also, here's an interview on WTOC about the choir and the concert:

We are all distraught about the horrors that both the Jews and the Palestinians have been experiencing since October 7th. I recently read an article that our good friend, Rabbi Robert Haas, wrote to his congregation. I thought it would be beneficial for us to hear his perspective and wisdom.

 

We have all been dismayed by the Anti-Semitism found on university campuses during the recent protests. Many of us, including myself, have been shocked by the violent and virulent verbal attacks spewed by students on university campuses around the country. As the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, noted on CNN, “You can vociferously criticize Israeli policy, you can strongly oppose moves by the Netanyahu government... but something is deeply wrong... when the way you express your frustration is telling Jewish students to go back to Poland. When the way you manifest your anger is by waving a Hezbollah or Hamas flag. That isn’t normal.”

We’ve seen our Jewish students attacked, blocked from attending classes, and forced to stay in their apartments or dorm rooms for their safety. We’ve watched in horror as students and instigators wave the idea of free speech as a shield as they promote hate, murder, and Anti-Semitism. We’ve seen the ironies of the moment in full display: we watched students label Israel as a country of genocide, while screaming “From the River to the Sea,” which promotes the idea of Jewish genocide; we saw LGBTQ organizations lift up Hamas as freedom fighters, despite the fact that every single Hamas member would murder anyone announcing themselves as a member of the LGBTQ community on site; we witnessed women covering their faces with Hamas style kufiyahs, even though women under the auspices of Hamas are forced to wear one against their will; and we saw students protesting in support of Hamas, when Hamas would never give them the opportunity to protest anything if they lived in Gaza.

I believe that many of the students echoing this rhetoric want the best for the Palestinians and protest the way they do out of ignorance. At least I hope so. However, I believe many do so otherwise. Let’s again look at the issue objectively. These instigators keep telling us it has nothing to do with Jews, just Israel. Yet, they don’t protest the war in Ukraine which has killed half a million people or so, a war that Russia started without being attacked. They don’t protest the Syrian War in which at least another 500,000 people have been killed. They don’t protest the promotion of terrorism by Iran or the totalitarian regime in North Korea, or anyone else If protestors truly wanted to make change, they would also protest the government of Hamas, which has continued to promote the destruction of Israel as its number one priority, far above the welfare and lives of its people. I believe the Palestinians in Gaza receive more money per person than any other people in the Middle East, outside of Israel. Yet, these protestors don’t protest the fact that most of the money is going towards three things: weapons to fire at Israel, concrete for the underground tunnels, and into the pockets of Hamas leaders who live in palaces in Keter (Quatar). Yet, they DO choose to protest against the one Jewish country in the whole world. Make no mistake, these protests are based on Anti-Semitism, even if many of the students do not understand this fact.  

I have spent last few days speaking with confused parents, media outlets, members of the Jewish community and members of the non-Jewish community, and we are all at a loss for words. As a Jewish community what can we do to stop this kind of hatred, especially when we, as members of the Jewish community, hold different views on Israel and its current government.

First of all, we must remember that non-violent protests continue to be an American privilege We live in this great country, and we should never take away this gift. Students who protest a war should be supported. Students who protest Israeli policy should be allowed to speak. We must help them understand the difference between peaceful protests and what we see on the campus today.

I may not always be thrilled with the government in Israel, but the country is simply not a genocidal beast as accused. I may not support efforts by the government, but Israel left Gaza in 2005 and has been very restrained as Hamas fired tens of thousands of missiles its way during the ensuing years. Only after the horrendous attacks in October, did the country decide to mass for war. Yes, I am heart broken by the thousands of innocent civilians who have been killed in the ensuing war, but I know that Israel targets Hamas, and unfortunately, they tend to hide in civilian areas so as to ensure the world sees civilians being killed.

I say to those who want, go ahead and protest policies by the Israeli government. Call for a cease-fire. Call for peace. Who protests the Israeli policies more than anyone else? Israelis. Read Israeli newspapers. Who protests American policies and criticizes the American president more than anyone else? Americans. Yet understand that these protests sometimes come right out of the playbook of actual terrorists. When people dress in a kufiyah, they are dressing as people who actually go out and murder innocent men, women and children. When students say, “From the River to the Sea,” they are mimicking actual terrorists, akin to the ones who bombed the U.S. on 911. Hamas is basically ISIS with another name.

I take solace though in understanding that most Americans do not agree with these violent protestors. According to a survey from the Harvard CAPS I found through the ADL, “The Vast Majority of Americans Back Israel over Hamas. Despite what we are seeing on campus, 80 percent of registered voters said they support Israel more in the war, while 20 percent said they support Hamas more.” However, 20% is still too much.

I was also thrilled to see the House of Representatives pass the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act,, which according to the ADL, “reinforces the use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism in addressing antisemitic harassment and discrimination on campus, in line with policy that has been in effect over the last two Presidential Administrations.” Please call your congress person and give him or her a thanks.

The world has not turned against the Jewish community. We still can stand proudly by our Judaism, and we can still stand and support America and Israel, even when we disagree with certain choices and decisions. Read the recent speech by President Biden. Read the letter sent by the University of Georgia to its students and parents. Most people understand the truth, and I believe a high percentage of the students who protest remain misguided. Yes, we remain shocked at the nature of these protests, but we do not sit idly by as hate rears its ugly head. Through the power of our Jewish organizations, through the power of our phone calls, our emails and our letters, through the power of non-Jewish organizations and churches, through the power of our students, through the sheer power of our incredibly vibrant spirits, we will overcome.

Shabbat Shalom

If you are looking for a church home, we would love to have you be part of the Asbury-Wesley Oak Faith Community. We have New Member Orientation Classes three times a year - and one of those times is soon! We'll actually be meeting after church on the last two Sundays in May, the 19th & 26th. Lunch is provided. If you would like to participate, contact me or Candace Jenkins so we can know how much food to have prepared You can email me at bghester3@comcast.net or you can email Candace or call her at the church office (912-233-4351). 

I look forward to being with you in person or online this Sunday. This will be the second Mother's Day I will have experienced since my mother's death. It feels like the first. Her death was in late April, and there was so much going on after her death that I felt caught up in a whirlwind. Mother's Day seemed to come and go without me realizing it. This year, I've had time to reflect. I have found myself being so very thankful for our faith — our faith that helps us get through tough times and our faith that tells us we will be with our deceased Loved Ones again. Faith for my mother not only meant we can overcome our adversities, we can also rejoice and celebrate all of our many blessings that we are experiencing now. How blessed we are!

I hope you will join me on Sunday in celebrating life and our many blessings as we worship our Creator.

Love and Blessings to all!
Billy