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Who Knows?

Who Knows?

This Saturday evening and Sunday we will gather, dress in costumes, revel with music and food, and hear the story of Esther and Mordechai, Achashverosh and Haman. In the center of the story, Mordechai speaks to Esther, now the queen of Persia, and appeals to her so she may help save the Jews who have been threatened with annihilation of genocidal proportion. Mordechai says, “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in the crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.”  (4:13-14)

“Who knows?” It’s question laden with great uncertainty. I know that whenever I throw my hands up in the air and proclaim, “Who knows?” it usually presumes I do indeed know but I’m afraid to say it. There’s safety in uncertainty here, yet Esther transcends her own comfort so she may appeal to the king and undermine Haman’s nefarious plans. There are times when we too have to take a stand, even if we hope help will come from elsewhere.

The Purim story resonates in every generation. This is how the people of Whitefish, a small town of some 7,000 residents and about 200 Jews, felt in December of last year as the efforts of a small group of anti-semitic white supremacists launched an attack on them, their leadership, and the Jewish world beyond. Surely these attacks, online and in front of businesses, was not a plan with genocide as its goal, but the expressions of hatred shattered the small Jewish community’s confidence and safety in this idyllic mountain resort town in northwest Montana.

“Who knows?” After all that the Jewish people have endured, the real threat of anti-semitism is waning. We have so much more now than in the past. We have the State of Israel, we have unprecedented freedoms in this country, we have a globally connected network that screams ‘injustice!’ whenever an expression of hatred or bigotry is hurled against any people, not just at Jews.  

The traumatic fallout following the attacks in December has left the community fragile and fearful. The mayor of the town has been outspoken in his support of the Jewish community. The Governor of the State visited the home of the rabbi following the attacks and most recently when 42 rabbis visited the community this week. I was privileged to be among this group of rabbis from every expression of Jewish identity in North America, and to hear the words of the Governor, Steve Bullock, in comfort and solidarity against the beleaguered Jewish community in his state.

Governor Bullock spoke of the value of interconnectedness. This threat brought so many people together, not only to protect the Jewish community, but also as an affirmation of our basic human dignity and respect that forms the bedrock of this country. The Mayor of the town, John Muhfeld, spoke about the thousands of letters of support he received from people all over the world, even from elementary schools on the other side of the country.  

The 42 rabbis who visited the community this week began the meeting by singing, “Kol Haolam Kulo - Gesher Tzar Me’od.” These words are made famous by the 19th century Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav. “The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The core of this is never to fear.”  There was no fear in the narrowness of this moment because each of us was there to proclaim, “You are not alone,” and “We are strong and proud and will defend our people and our principles against any form of bigotry or hatred in this world.”

“Who knows?” This Purim it is without any doubt, absent of any uncertainty, that WE know - that YOU know. Our world knows that no injustice like this will be allowed to flourish in our midst. Purim is not just a story for Jews anymore. If the Whitefish story and similar examples of hatred that have plagued our country in recent months affirm, we all know such hatred has no place here or anywhere.  

Chag Purim Sameach - Wishes for you and your family for a joyous Purim holiday.

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784