Marc Angel and Albert Gabbai on Black Lives Matter: Stark Contrasts in the Sephardic Rabbinate
David Shasha
Marc Angel and Albert Gabbai on Black Lives Matter: Stark Contrasts in the Sephardic Rabbinate
In the midst of the Trumpdeath Pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, two putatively Sephardic rabbis spoke out on the issues of the day.
The articles by Rabbi Albert Gabbai and Rabbi Marc Angel follow this note.
Rabbi Gabbai, the current leader of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, has written a beautiful text that speaks to the humility and dignity of the classical Sephardic heritage. His words are a perfect articulation of Jewish Humanism:
The Jewish people who have suffered slavery, expulsions, discriminations, persecutions, pogroms, Inquisitions, racism and ultimately a holocaust, cannot remain silent. We know what suffering is whether as a group or as individuals (I can personally attest to that). So of all groups of people we can and should understand the frustration and the suffering of our African-American brothers and sisters in our society at large. That is our mission to be a “light unto the nations.” As a member of the Greater Philadelphia Religious leader’s council, I joined the other clergy members to issue a call that “we can do better” by united actions.
These are indeed the words of our classical tradition; a concern for all people with the understanding that we are all the Children of God.
It is our way of being Jewish:
Yes, in our American society there is racism and there is antisemitism. This issue is very complex and I will not dare express arrogance of knowing a simple solution. But our Jewish teachings tell us that when we teach compassion, we get compassion. We MUST be kinder to each other and welcome everyone “Besever Panim Yaffot" -- with a happy countenance. And as long as we raise our voices and act (as many Jews did in support of the civil rights marches in the 1960’s) there will be hope for a better future.
There are of course echoes of the great Sabato Morais, a man who set the standard for that illustrious Synagogue:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gettysburg-address-jewish-connection_b_3539959
As Marc Saperstein wrote in his excellent article
July 4, 1863 was a Saturday, and Rabbi Sabato Morais, a Sephardi immigrant from Italy serving as religious leader of Philadelphia's Mikveh Israel Congregation, delivered his Sabbath morning sermon. His sermon contains a phrase that might well have influenced the most celebrated speech in American history.
This particular Sabbath 150 years ago was unusual for several reasons. It was the American Independence Day, an occasion for celebration. However, in the Jewish calendar, it was also the 17th Day of Tammuz, a traditional day of mourning, commemorating the Roman breaching of the walls of Jerusalem in 70 CE, beginning a three-week period of solemnity that culminates with the 9th of Av, when the Temple was destroyed. This contrast in moods between the American and the Jewish calendars created a significant challenge for the preacher.
But there was a third complicating component that made the 1863 date unique: it followed immediately upon the conclusion of the Battle of Gettysburg. On Saturday morning of July 4th, the news of the outcome of the battle was not yet accessible to Morais in Philadelphia -- it would not be published until special-edition newspapers that afternoon. When he prepared the text of his sermon, and when he delivered the words from the pulpit, it was still unclear to the preacher and his congregants whether the Confederate Armies that had penetrated into Pennsylvania would break through the Union lines and threaten Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, D.C.
Morais' sermon attracted enough attention to be published in a New York Jewish weekly six days later. The headline states that it had been delivered "at the request of the Philadelphia Union League." This patriotic organization was founded in December 1862 in strong support of the war effort and President Lincoln's policies. Weeks in advance, the League had urged all Philadelphia clergy to devote their July 5th Sunday morning sermons to a celebration of the July 4th national holiday. Following news of the victory at Gettysburg, the mood of those Sunday sermons was unambiguous. But for Morais, preaching on the 4th, the task was much more complex.
In his sermon, Morais confirms that he was officially asked to recall Independence Day, and that "A stirring oration on political topics may perhaps be anticipated as the most fitting manner of complying with the request."
Yet Morais says that -- both because of the date in the Jewish calendar and the bleakness of the current military circumstances--he cannot give the up-beat, inspirational, patriotic address that the Union League plainly desired. For his biblical text, [rather than selecting the verse recommended by the Union League for all sermons by Philadelphia clergy -- the Liberty Bell verse from Leviticus, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof,” Morais reflected the prevailing mood (which would change so dramatically in just a few hours)] by choosing King Hezekiah's words spoken during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem: “This is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and derision” (Isa. 37:3). Morais continues with an alarming allusion to the great battle some ninety miles away.
But the preacher could not totally ignore the July 4th occasion being commemorated throughout the North. And so he says, ‘I am not indifferent, my dear friends, to the event, which four score and seven years ago, brought to this new world light and joy.’
As Saperstein, indicates, Morais’ sermon reverberated in the culture and possibly into Lincoln’s epochal Gettysburg Address:
Three days later, Abraham Lincoln spoke to a small group and, according to the New York Times, he said, "How long ago is it? -- eighty odd years -- since on the Fourth of July for the first time in the history of the world a nation by its representatives assembled and declared as a self-evident truth that 'all men are created equal'." Morais also could have said "eighty odd years ago"; instead he used wording that echoes the King James translation "threescore years and ten" (Ps. 90:10), evoking an unusual event with what was then a highly unusual phrase -- followed by "brought to this new world..."
Needless to say, some three months later, for the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery, Abraham Lincoln elevated the level of his discourse from "eighty odd years" to "four score and seven years, our fathers brought forth to this continent," possibly borrowing from the published text by the Philadelphia Sephardic preacher who, without knowing it, may have made a lasting contribution to American rhetorical history.
We must applaud Rabbi Gabbai for continuing this illustrious Sephardic Jewish tradition.
Hazak u-barukh!
On the other hand, we again have the racism and Jewish ethnocentrism of Rabbi Marc Angel, which should not come as a surprise to us, as he has in the past denied the Convivencia values of our classical Iberian past:
In speaking about the current protests, Angel does what many racists do; he says that “All Lives Matter,” as he attacks the protests as Anti-Semitic:
Certainly, black lives matter…but so do Jewish lives matter…so do all human lives matter. Injecting malicious slanders against Israel or the Jewish people does not advance peace among human beings. On the contrary, anti-Semitism is a malignant virus that infects not only the haters, but endangers the well-being of society as a whole.
Naturally, he cites Lysol Alan Dershowitz:
Professor Alan Dershowitz wrote: "Being on the right side of one racial issue does not give one a license to be on the wrong side of the oldest bigotry. It would be sad if the good work done by Black Lives Matter were allowed to be sidetracked by the mendacious and irrelevant accusation of “genocide” and “apartheid” against one foreign democracy — Israel.”
The protests are not about anti-Black racism, they are about Zionism:
While these racial tensions clearly need to be addressed in a serious and productive way—avoiding violence and hatred—voices within the “Black Lives Matter” movement have veered from its primary focus in order to attack and malign the State of Israel! During the current mass demonstrations--most of which have been peaceful-- there have also been acts of violence and looting, including targeted attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses.
Angel’s disgusting outburst reflects the same sentiment that I discussed in my essay on Andrew Goldberg’s “Viral” documentary on Anti-Semitism:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/davidshasha/MjhUyVA8i5I
Here is how I concluded that essay:
So, while “Viral” works diligently to present Anti-Semitism as an immutable disease to the human organism, it resolutely refuses to take an inward look at what it means to be Jewish today, and how it is necessary for all of us to examine our own racism in the context of a very dangerous global movement towards nationalist extremism, which in itself is wrapped in violence and intolerance of the Other.
As we compare and contrast the articles by Gabbai and Angel we see what Sephardic Jewish Humanism is about, and what rejecting Sephardic Jewish Humanism is about.
Where Gabbai empathizes with the victims of racism and oppression, Angel, in his usual Soloveitchikan-YU Ashkenazi Jewish ethnocentrism, can only see his own Jewish identity and not that of the Other.
The two articles provide us with a stark lesson on what it means to be a Sephardi, and what it means to abandon the Sephardic heritage and make common cause with the White Jewish Supremacy.
David Shasha
We Are One Family
By: Rabbi Albert Gabbai
We who believe in the eternal message of the Torah that tells us that EVERY human being is created in the image of G-d (Betselem Elokim) and have seen the horrendous murder of George Floyd at the hand of an inhumane policeman (with his accomplices) cannot remain silent. How could this happen in a “civilized’ society? We want to scream from the top of our lungs. Enough!
The Jewish people who have suffered slavery, expulsions, discriminations, persecutions, pogroms, Inquisitions, racism and ultimately a holocaust, cannot remain silent. We know what suffering is whether as a group or as individuals (I can personally attest to that). So of all groups of people we can and should understand the frustration and the suffering of our African-American brothers and sisters in our society at large. That is our mission to be a “light unto the nations.” As a member of the Greater Philadelphia Religious leader’s council, I joined the other clergy members to issue a call that “we can do better” by united actions.
Surely, in almost every group of people there will be “bad apples” and they may make “big noises” and detract from the honorable mission demanded. Then, it becomes imperative that the voices of reason, of peace and compassion become much louder.
We are blessed to have at Congregation Mikveh Israel a family of different ethnicities and races. We strive to work in harmony unified in praying to our Creator. We recall the words in the Bible stated by Job 31:15: “Did not He who made me in the womb make them?”
Indeed, we are one family.
Yes, in our American society there is racism and there is antisemitism. This issue is very complex and I will not dare express arrogance of knowing a simple solution. But our Jewish teachings tell us that when we teach compassion, we get compassion. We MUST be kinder to each other and welcome everyone “Besever Panim Yaffot" -- with a happy countenance. And as long as we raise our voices and act (as many Jews did in support of the civil rights marches in the 1960’s) there will be hope for a better future.
We pray to the Almighty that as we inch away from this pandemic we should take a deep “Heshbon Nefesh” (personal accounting) and be guided by the imitation of G-d’s thirteen attributes of mercy, compassion, truthfulness, slow to anger, plenty of kindnesses, etc.
As we will read in the Parasha Naso this Shabbat we pray that the Holy one blessed be He gives us blessings over the whole world: "Yebarekhekha,” May the
Lord bless you and guard you.
”Osse Shalom Bimromav Hu Ya’asse Shalom Alenu,” may the Almighty grant us peace to all. Amen.
From Congregation Mikveh Israel, June 5, 2020
Black Lives Matter, Jewish Lives Matter, Truth Matters
By: Rabbi Marc D. Angel
A Midrash tells that when the Almighty was about to create Adam, a debate broke out among the angels. Some advised Him not to create human beings, others urged Him to create humanity. Hesed (compassion) said: let human beings be created because they will do acts of kindness. Emet (truth) said: let them not be created because they will be filled with lies. Tsedek (righteousness) said: create them because they will do acts of justice. Shalom (peace) said: don't create them because they will be filled with strife.
God then cast Emet down to earth. The angels objected: why did you treat Emet disrespectfully, since Truth is Your hallmark? God replied: The truth will blossom forth from the earth.
And then Adam was created.
At the very point of the creation of humanity, this Midrash teaches, it was clear that human beings would be a mixed blessing. They would form a society filled with lies and strife--but also filled with compassion and peace. In weighing the pluses and minuses, God opted for creating humanity. He planted Truth into the soil of the earth, with the confidence that one day Truth will blossom, and humanity will be redeemed.
When we look around our world, it is not always easy to share God’s optimism about the future of humanity. Our world is very far from being a peaceful place, and very far from adhering to truth and compassion. But we take a deep breath, think carefully, and deeply understand that each of us has a role to play in creating peace. We strive for peace among nations, tolerance and mutual respect among religions, justice in our society, peace within ourselves and between ourselves and the Almighty.
One of the difficult issues confronting American society is the racial tensions that have erupted when police have been accused of using excessive force against black men perceived to be engaged in criminal activity. Video images of some of these confrontations show police using force—and murdering—victims who had already surrendered, who were unarmed, who posed no obvious threat to the police. This wave of incidents led to the establishment of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, protesting police brutality against blacks. The tense situation has worsened as police officers have been wantonly attacked in various cities, as a means of general revenge against “the system.”
While these racial tensions clearly need to be addressed in a serious and productive way—avoiding violence and hatred—voices within the “Black Lives Matter” movement have veered from its primary focus in order to attack and malign the State of Israel! During the current mass demonstrations--most of which have been peaceful-- there have also been acts of violence and looting, including targeted attacks on synagogues and Jewish businesses.
Professor Alan Dershowitz wrote: "Being on the right side of one racial issue does not give one a license to be on the wrong side of the oldest bigotry. It would be sad if the good work done by Black Lives Matter were allowed to be sidetracked by the mendacious and irrelevant accusation of “genocide” and “apartheid” against one foreign democracy — Israel.”
Certainly, black lives matter…but so do Jewish lives matter…so do all human lives matter. Injecting malicious slanders against Israel or the Jewish people does not advance peace among human beings. On the contrary, anti-Semitism is a malignant virus that infects not only the haters, but endangers the well-being of society as a whole.
The Midrash teaches that God had optimism that Truth will ultimately “blossom from the earth,” and that humanity’s existence will be characterized by morality, truthfulness and inter-group harmony. As long as racism and anti-Semitism are allowed to fester, we know that humanity has not justified God’s hopes for us.
We look forward to the day, may it come speedily, when humanity will rise above its propensity for violence, hatred and vicious slanders. Good people everywhere need to stand up for peace, mutual respect, and truth. None of us--of any religion or race--can be justified in our humanity until the truth will blossom forth from the earth.
From Jewish Ideas website, June 8, 2020