The Connection between the Shoah and supporting Gun
Control
On April 9th, the East Bay Jewish Community is coming together to
commemorating the Shoah (the Holocaust) at Temple Sinai, in Oakland. The program is called, “Community
Commemoration of the Holocaust And The Resistance”. To me, that we are going to
be focusing some of the evening on the resistance says something about how far
the Jewish community has come.
Bringing attention to the resistance is not new, I admit. In fact, it’s always been an important
element in any Holocaust curriculum.
But, what is different is the confidence in which we, as a community,
put forth to everyone else that, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, we Jews did not go
quietly into that good night.
That is an important message to share with not just our friends of
other faiths, but with us, too.
One does him/herself a great disservice when embracing a Jewish
worldview that emphasizes “victimhood”, and not peoplehood. Yes, it is true
that Jewish history is replete with stories of how our ancestors were
oppressed. Yet, it seems to me that too
many want to remember just the first part of our story, that of
oppression. But, it is the second half
of our story-the end– that is most telling and should be given equal
attention. For that is the part of the
story that tells us about the heroic efforts of the few who, because of their
pride and belief in the principle values of Judaism, rose above their
situations, spoke truth to power, believed in themselves enough to fight back,
to resist, in order to ensure a future for the Jewish people
Only those who believe in themselves, who believe that they can make a
difference in the world, can make such endings possible. They are the ones who believe they have a
message worthy of sharing with the rest of us.
They are not victims.
Yom HaShoah is no longer just about commemorating the death of six
million Jews and worrying about our place in the world. Those of us born in this country, who know
only a world with Israel as a Jewish state, can more easily relate to those who
resisted than those who did not. Now,
seven decades later, Yom HaShoah challenges you and me to make sure those who
did die simply because they were Jews did not die in vain. But, even more so, it challenges you and me
to make sure those who did fight, who did resist, were right in doing so.
What is the challenge? It is to keep our heads up and our eyes open and
to resist anything that is contrary to Judaism’s primary belief in the sanctity
of life, and that which brings death to our doorsteps. Today, gun violence is such a cause.
Gun violence is on the rise, in spite of all the efforts since Newtown
and Aurora to make it more difficult for civilians to purchase assault rifles
and automatics. Last year, in Oakland 126 people were killed in gun-related
incidents. That is a 26% increase in
such crimes since 2006. This year, as of
March first, gunshots have killed fifteen people. That is the most of any Bay Area city.
In May, the California State legislature will be taking up six bills
that will promote gun violence prevention.
They are SB47, SB53, SB108, SB293 and SB299. I encourage you to go to the following link
and learn more about these bills http://sd06.senate.ca.gov/news/2013-02-07-proposals-curb-gun-violence.
Understand, supporting gun violence prevention is not about denying
anyone the rite to own a gun. At the end of the day, supporting anything that reduces
gun violence is a moral issue, and as such, is an issue in which religious
communities like ours have a sake, and ought to have a say.
Getting involved in reducing gun violence today, in any way we can, is
our show of resistance. It is the best way I can imagine to keep alive the
blessed memories of our ancestors who resisted the violence and fear imposed on
them by the Nazis.
