That the synagogue blew its shofar four times for those four little girls--something I did not know until I read this letter--was so inspiring I just grabbed my own shofar, went out on my patio, and blew same. I'm sure my Arizona neighbors wondered where the trumpeting elephant came from, but that's okay. I will add this four-pulse salute to my annual shofar ritual. Thanks, Heather.
That the synagogue blew its shofar four times for those four little girls--something I did not know until I read this letter--was so inspiring I just grabbed my own shofar, went out on my patio, and blew same. I'm sure my Arizona neighbors wondered where the trumpeting elephant came from, but that's okay. I will add this four-pulse salute to my annual shofar ritual. Thanks, Heather.
Beautiful, Shane. I was fourteen when this happened, growing up in New York City. I was shocked to the core. I have spent my life helping public school students to pursue and succeed in medical and science careers. That was my vow as a young girl: to right wrong where I saw it and could have a positive outcome. I still follow that philosophy, now 74 living in rural India on a farm. I worked like mad to help elect Biden, and the Georgia Democratic senators. I will continue that until we are stable and protecting our citizenry from the current outrages of violence and hatred. Happy New Year, Shane and all readers here.
Thanks, Elisabeth, and happy New Year to you and yours. LIke you, I knew all about those poor girls, but the synagogue's shofar salute to them was a joy. Nice thing about blowing a shofar is as long as it's strong and loud people think you're getting the notes right, which is not always the case for me :-)
Thank you, Shane for blowing shofar to commemorate the little girls.
Thank you, Heather, for reminding those of us old enough to remember and for enlightening those who are younger.
This horrific occurrence spurred our mother to join the protests against segregation of the Oklahoma City public schools that fall. She took me once and was appalled by the violence meted to a 13 year old girl. After that, I babysat another womanтАЩs children so that she could march. IтАЩll never forget the look of hatred on the faces of the counter protestors as they hit, shoved and spat upon a skinny white girl. I can only imagine my motherтАЩs horror at having her daughter treated in that manner.
It taught me a very valuable lesson about mob behaviorтАФthat a person, egged on by their compatriots, will often do things in a mob that theyтАЩd never do on their own.
Absolutely. In the late '70s, I covered the huge counterprotest that formed when neo-Nazis came to Chicago to raise heil about The Jewz. I was a baby newspaper reporter and so naturally thought I could gather great photos and quotes If I put myself right between the roiling crowd of Nazi haters and cops assigned to protect them.
It started out fine; I interviewed members of the crowd and then the cops on the steps. The atmosphere was more like a football game than a gathering of Nazis. Then the brownshirts walked onto stage and began to vomit their bullshit.
The mood instantly darkened. Protestors began shifting feet to feet. Tomatoes and other veggies began to fly--one, then another, then a dozen, then the whole garden. Splattered cops stiffened up and tightened formation. Bricks began to sail, not at the cops but at the Nazis behind them, but riot shields and batons started stabbing the sky . . . almost into my face. I could taste the electrical wire of tension and anger sweeping the crowd--what had been good-natured catcalling of "dumb fat Nazis" had morphed into "Kill those baby Hitlers!" and all of sudden I realized it had been a Very Bad Idea to get a riot's-eye view of this.
Fortunately, this showdown was at the base of a massive old stone building in downtown Chicago, so I sidestepped into the relatively safe shelter of one of the carved stone columns that held up the building's roof. The crowd pushed and shoved and screamed, the cops did what cops do--held the line.
This never boiled over into a riot, though, because, hilariously, the big bad Nazis became so alarmed they told the cops to get them out of there. Cops obliged, and the steam went out of the crowd, anger turning to high fives and laughs. No riot, no pulverized Me. I got a good story and went home to write it.
It taught me a VERY valuable lesson on how mob behavior can infect the most peaceful assembly with very little warning, and people with even the most noble intentions can find themselves throwing punches or bricks. The dynamic is fast and furious.
That you became the target of those enraged people, I don't know how you ever not think about that day over and over and over, Mary. I'm so sorry you had to go through it.
Thank you, Shane, I think you've solved a mystery for me. I was out in my condo's parking lot yesterday and I swore I heard an elephant trumpeting! Since I had just come home with my first hearing aids I blamed my vastly improved hearing! Here in the Mid-Hudson Valley it makes more sense that a neighbor was blowing a shofar. :-)
Thank you, Shane. What a beautiful gesture. Happy New Year to you as well. I hope your neighbors in Arizona ask and find out what you were doing and what it signifies. As the fight for equality is far from over, we should all be grateful to Heather for this reminder.
It would never have occurred to me to do this for the girls had Heather not mentioned the synagogue, so all thanks to the good people of that temple for what they did.
Shanke Gericke, thank you for spreading the love out further into the world. Love, traveled from those, who made the decisions in the synagogue and churches to honor the lives of 4 innocent children, to Heather, to you. I love seeing how love travels. Thank you!
All good wishes have to go to the Professor, for without her reporting it would not have occurred to me to do this. Now I want to add blasts for everyone.
Professor RichardsonтАжIтАЩve never quite understood my passion for the promise that the Creator bestowedтАжтАЭWe are all in this together. There is enough to go around.тАЭ Certainly I did not learn of it growing up in urban suburbia during the 60тАЩs. I never had a personal friendship with any person of color until I was in college. I only learned the promise when I had life experience through adulthood transforming some lessons of childhood and abandoning my rung on the ladder of caste supremacy and refusing to have my foot on the neck of those below me.
I remain overwhelmed with emotion after watching the video posted at end of the Letter today. I understand now the passion that we white people must always lead with as we engage with our sisters and brothers of this earth.
Thank you for giving us history and daring us to understand its Truth and Light.
Thanks for your lovely postings, gang, I'm honored by your kindness. My shofar is a three-foot-long, curled natural horn, and I bought it 33 years ago on a trip to Israel. I've been playing it ever since, sometimes for a gathering of friends, mostly for myself. When I saw Heather's note about the four little girls, I knew I had to honor them that way. I don't play enough to be any kind of expert, but "loud and steady" makes up for talent :-)
That the synagogue blew its shofar four times for those four little girls--something I did not know until I read this letter--was so inspiring I just grabbed my own shofar, went out on my patio, and blew same. I'm sure my Arizona neighbors wondered where the trumpeting elephant came from, but that's okay. I will add this four-pulse salute to my annual shofar ritual. Thanks, Heather.
Beautiful, Shane. I was fourteen when this happened, growing up in New York City. I was shocked to the core. I have spent my life helping public school students to pursue and succeed in medical and science careers. That was my vow as a young girl: to right wrong where I saw it and could have a positive outcome. I still follow that philosophy, now 74 living in rural India on a farm. I worked like mad to help elect Biden, and the Georgia Democratic senators. I will continue that until we are stable and protecting our citizenry from the current outrages of violence and hatred. Happy New Year, Shane and all readers here.
Thanks, Elisabeth, and happy New Year to you and yours. LIke you, I knew all about those poor girls, but the synagogue's shofar salute to them was a joy. Nice thing about blowing a shofar is as long as it's strong and loud people think you're getting the notes right, which is not always the case for me :-)
Your life is an inspiration Elisabeth. Thank you
Thank you Elisabeth. Happy New Year to you.
тЭдя╕П
Bless you!
Thank you, Shane for blowing shofar to commemorate the little girls.
Thank you, Heather, for reminding those of us old enough to remember and for enlightening those who are younger.
This horrific occurrence spurred our mother to join the protests against segregation of the Oklahoma City public schools that fall. She took me once and was appalled by the violence meted to a 13 year old girl. After that, I babysat another womanтАЩs children so that she could march. IтАЩll never forget the look of hatred on the faces of the counter protestors as they hit, shoved and spat upon a skinny white girl. I can only imagine my motherтАЩs horror at having her daughter treated in that manner.
I cannot image the brain-poisoning it takes for a grown adult to treat children so cruelly. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.
It taught me a very valuable lesson about mob behaviorтАФthat a person, egged on by their compatriots, will often do things in a mob that theyтАЩd never do on their own.
Absolutely. In the late '70s, I covered the huge counterprotest that formed when neo-Nazis came to Chicago to raise heil about The Jewz. I was a baby newspaper reporter and so naturally thought I could gather great photos and quotes If I put myself right between the roiling crowd of Nazi haters and cops assigned to protect them.
It started out fine; I interviewed members of the crowd and then the cops on the steps. The atmosphere was more like a football game than a gathering of Nazis. Then the brownshirts walked onto stage and began to vomit their bullshit.
The mood instantly darkened. Protestors began shifting feet to feet. Tomatoes and other veggies began to fly--one, then another, then a dozen, then the whole garden. Splattered cops stiffened up and tightened formation. Bricks began to sail, not at the cops but at the Nazis behind them, but riot shields and batons started stabbing the sky . . . almost into my face. I could taste the electrical wire of tension and anger sweeping the crowd--what had been good-natured catcalling of "dumb fat Nazis" had morphed into "Kill those baby Hitlers!" and all of sudden I realized it had been a Very Bad Idea to get a riot's-eye view of this.
Fortunately, this showdown was at the base of a massive old stone building in downtown Chicago, so I sidestepped into the relatively safe shelter of one of the carved stone columns that held up the building's roof. The crowd pushed and shoved and screamed, the cops did what cops do--held the line.
This never boiled over into a riot, though, because, hilariously, the big bad Nazis became so alarmed they told the cops to get them out of there. Cops obliged, and the steam went out of the crowd, anger turning to high fives and laughs. No riot, no pulverized Me. I got a good story and went home to write it.
It taught me a VERY valuable lesson on how mob behavior can infect the most peaceful assembly with very little warning, and people with even the most noble intentions can find themselves throwing punches or bricks. The dynamic is fast and furious.
That you became the target of those enraged people, I don't know how you ever not think about that day over and over and over, Mary. I'm so sorry you had to go through it.
Thank you, Shane, I think you've solved a mystery for me. I was out in my condo's parking lot yesterday and I swore I heard an elephant trumpeting! Since I had just come home with my first hearing aids I blamed my vastly improved hearing! Here in the Mid-Hudson Valley it makes more sense that a neighbor was blowing a shofar. :-)
Ha! Love this! Yes, I'd guess the shofar was calling, the timing was certainly right.
Shanah tovah Shane.
Thanks, Linda, and back at you.
Thank you, Shane. What a beautiful gesture. Happy New Year to you as well. I hope your neighbors in Arizona ask and find out what you were doing and what it signifies. As the fight for equality is far from over, we should all be grateful to Heather for this reminder.
It would never have occurred to me to do this for the girls had Heather not mentioned the synagogue, so all thanks to the good people of that temple for what they did.
Shanke Gericke, thank you for spreading the love out further into the world. Love, traveled from those, who made the decisions in the synagogue and churches to honor the lives of 4 innocent children, to Heather, to you. I love seeing how love travels. Thank you!
That those children died so horribly and alone vexes me, and I wish I could do something to protect them.
Shane Gericke, yes, I know. That's probably why you felt so compelled to honor them with the shofar. тЩб
Dang shofar is as noisy as a gun but far less lethal, so maybe we should use them for riot control in the future :-)
Shane Gericke, i wasn't sure if I knew the sound of the shofar, so I googled it. Yes, it could startle and herd some rascals. Ha
Between this and my beloved Scottish bagpipes--the "bag o' banshees"--I think I could hold off the North Korean Army :-)
Shana Tova Tikvatanu! A new year for social justice. Your action is so moving.
All good wishes have to go to the Professor, for without her reporting it would not have occurred to me to do this. Now I want to add blasts for everyone.
Thank you for that act of love and justice. I'd be honored to be your neighbor.
Thanks, Kim, the honor would be mine. 102 tonight in Phoenix, come on over!
Thank you Shane.
You're very welcome, Helen.
Shana tova, Shane.
Hope I spelled that correctly.
One more letter--add an H to the end of tovah--and you're golden. Thank you for this.
Shane, I love that ! *
Thanks, D, it was fun to do. So hot outside here still I just slipped out, blew away, then raced back into the AC :-)
Professor RichardsonтАжIтАЩve never quite understood my passion for the promise that the Creator bestowedтАжтАЭWe are all in this together. There is enough to go around.тАЭ Certainly I did not learn of it growing up in urban suburbia during the 60тАЩs. I never had a personal friendship with any person of color until I was in college. I only learned the promise when I had life experience through adulthood transforming some lessons of childhood and abandoning my rung on the ladder of caste supremacy and refusing to have my foot on the neck of those below me.
I remain overwhelmed with emotion after watching the video posted at end of the Letter today. I understand now the passion that we white people must always lead with as we engage with our sisters and brothers of this earth.
Thank you for giving us history and daring us to understand its Truth and Light.
Salud!
ЁЯЧ╜ЁЯТЬ
Thanks for your lovely postings, gang, I'm honored by your kindness. My shofar is a three-foot-long, curled natural horn, and I bought it 33 years ago on a trip to Israel. I've been playing it ever since, sometimes for a gathering of friends, mostly for myself. When I saw Heather's note about the four little girls, I knew I had to honor them that way. I don't play enough to be any kind of expert, but "loud and steady" makes up for talent :-)