"Our Katrina" - A Message from Detroit
December 24, 2008
Community | Social Action
(0 comments)
By Rabbi Norman Roman
(First posted at RACblog)
Rabbi Norman Roman is the rabbi at Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, MI. This post is adapted from Rabbi Roman's message in the January 2009 Kol Ami bulletin.
 Early in December, I was invited by Cardinal Adam Maida to attend a small gathering of Detroit area religious leaders, an urgent interfaith response to the economic crisis and the auto industry's needs. It was good for the 14 of us to be together (14 is, of course, a 'yad' - a helping hand, in Hebrew!), the news media reported on our meeting, some ideas were shared of what our various communities were doing in Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues to assist our members, and personal connections were made for future participation in "prayer, political action, and programming."
Several insights from this crisis are very clear to me, and others have been suggested for me (and you) to consider:
First, what is happening in Southeast Michigan especially, is what I am calling "our area's Katrina". It is a monster storm that in some ways was expected, but its catastrophic consequences are yet to be fully grasped. On the horizon are winds of change: total disruption of home, professional and family life for many. Countless numbers of our friends and neighbors will need (or already are in need of) new jobs, new residences, and most importantly, hope. Other areas of the country received 'help' very quickly, some without too many conditions attached. But in our area's situation, there have been repercussions and threats, Congressional hearings, and scapegoating. Washington, and much of the U.S. do not seem to comprehend the extent of this crisis (the size of the hurricane), how many people outside the immediate area will be affected (the levies will break), nor has anyone prepared adequately for the rescue and clean-up operations that will be necessary (FEMA's failure). Is this possibly because many see this crisis as an opportunity to 'break' the labor unions? Or, as we heard in the accusations of racism towards New Orleans, is Detroit also being 'sacrificed' because the population is predominantly black?
Secondly, even though a loan package or other assistance may have been legislated by the time 2009 begins, a new government, with a new President and a new Congressional Majority, will take office in January. We must communicate with Washington about support for our area, our manufacturing industries, and the Main Street versus Wall Street divide that has become so real during this Recession. And more, we must share our pain and our stories with our relatives and friends who live in other parts of the country. For apparently, they and their representatives in the House and Senate refuse to see the human effect that this crisis has brought. They do not accept that failures and foreclosures and plant closings in Michigan will inevitably also mean failures and foreclosures and closings in the South, as well. They refuse to acknowledge the major advances that the American automotive companies have achieved in the last few years. We need their voices to be heard on our behalf, and we need their prayers, as well.
This is a very difficult time - for all of us. Again, please know that the Temple is here for you: we pledge to listen, to advocate on your behalf, to try and make connections for job placement or other types of assistance. The key phrase for our Jewish community and for our congregation recently has been, "No One is Alone." Our tradition teaches both that we should not despair and that we should always stand ready to help.
As Jews and as Americans, let us proudly welcome the New Year and the New Administration, and let us work and pray for a better tomorrow!
Post a comment
|
Print
Email
Comment