For 30 some years I had the privilege and opportunity to work as a professional in the Jewish Communal Service. Of those 30 some years at least a dozen of them had me as the Executive Director, an honor for me but a job and title filled sometimes with deep dark worries. I HAVE been in a JCC when we received calls of terrorism, when we received bomb threats, when we just had calls telling us Jews were the scum of the Earth and WE all had better watch out. I had to multi-task so quickly that sometimes my brain ran a little behind my body in motion. Who should I delegate to assist in informing the entire staff of the JCC, who should I directly approach hoping to ease some of the turmoil. How should we tell the Dementia Unit that suddenly as if life was not already confusing we would be taking a little walk outside of the building. How should we approach our Senior Adults, some members who silently wore the scars of the Holocaust..or the others still harboring the fear, understanding that even in America they should remain vigilant because after all they were Jewish. How should I approach the Early Childhood Department, knowing that when I usually entered the classrooms, I was Mr Gerry there to spend as much wonderful time as I could to interact with these innocent lives. But this time try and disguise my sense of saving these innocent lives. How could we inform the parents that we were doing our best…how could we let some police understand even if this was a prank call we needed to act and not react. How could i get my Board of Directors to exert their financial and political connections to get help immediately. I saw the fear, the nervousness, the faces with nonverbal expressions saying, WHY, HOW, isn’t this America.
So now I am pissed off (Probably too nice of a word) that Jewish Communal Agencies are once again being targeted. I am pissed off that Ivanka Trump who converted to Judaism is silent, that her Orthodox husband Jared is silent. That neither of these two JEWS has approached Trump to at least Tweet against this rash of anti-Semitism. Jarod Kushner had no problem in silencing Chris Christie for imprisoning Jarod’s father Charles for his criminal activities. And where is the Jewish Federation of New York City pleading, urging Charles Kushner who I am sure was or is a donor to impress upon his son Jarod, that anti-Semitism against one Jew is the same as hate toward all Jews. And where is the Rabbi, and his Congregation of Orthodox Jews not demanding that the Kushner's who have the closest Jewish access to the Oval Office use their clout to get Trump to at least Tweet, my daughter, my son-in-law, for God sakes my grandchildren are Jewish.
And where is Rabbi Marvin Heir, the go to Jew for Trumps’s show and tell religious demonstration, where is he, not calling Team Trump demanding that Trump acknowledge the hate that is happening in America. Shame on the New York Federation, Shame on the Rabbi of the current Kushner shul, Shame on Rabbi Heir and if I could find a more harsh word Shame on Jarod and Ivanka Kushner for their deafening silence. Oh and please spare me any excuses why important Jews are so silent!
