SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
An arson fire last week devastated the oldest synagogue in Mississippi. It's not the first time the Beth Israel congregation has been the target of an antisemitic attack. I spoke with Rachel Myers, a leader of the congregation's religious school, to learn about how the congregation is doing and about this weekend's services, which were held in a nearby church.
RACHEL MYERS: You know, our spiritual leader, Ben Russell, did a fantastic job of really setting the tone. You know, he was prompting us to be joyous and resilient. I'm always the first one to kind of give a woo-hoo. Like, I just feel like, you know, if there's a time to celebrate, there's a time to celebrate, and it truly did feel like that.
MCCAMMON: I was struck by the fact that you said it was a joyful service, even after everything.
MYERS: Yes, yes. And that just - I think that's a Jewish tradition. I think there is such a Jewish tradition to need to find joy together. You know, the prayers are meant to be uplifting. They're meant to, you know, bring us together. This morning, I did get choked up at the very first prayer. It's called Ma Tovu, and you're supposed to say it right when you enter a sanctuary to kind of be grateful to be in a sacred space together. And we'll continue to sing that same song. We'll continue. When I met with the Sunday school kids the very next day, I was very intent to show them photos of what happened inside the building so that they could see what was done to us. And then we immediately started dreaming of what we were going to do next, and they had some great ideas for things that they want in our next space. You know, I was teaching them that Jewish people are resilient, and we do not cower in fear, and we continue. We rebuild. We'll be stronger together.
MCCAMMON: What were those conversations with the kids like?
MYERS: Some of them asked, why? Why would someone do this to us? And, you know, I had to repeat that it wasn't really time for us to try to answer that yet. You know, we'll learn more about the person who did this and why, but what was important is that we were together. And even though our sacred space was attacked and destroyed, we can make sacred spaces together. And when we're together, like, we can be Jewish.
And I couldn't help but think about 1967. This building had been bombed then. And I asked them, like, you know, what did they do after the bombing? And they knew. The Jewish congregation had kept going. People worked to make it. And so I asked them, you know, what should we do now? And they were so sweet. They just said, be more Jewish than ever.
MCCAMMON: What did they mean by that? What does that look like?
MYERS: It means we do Hebrew as an active resistance. You know, being a young person and trying to learn a new language is very difficult. And, you know, you can imagine, like, little kids - they're going to complain about doing the work. But now it's an active resistance. Now us learning our traditions, us learning this language, us practicing Judaism out loud is a sign and is a symbol that we do not cower and fear, that we are a strong people, that Judaism is important to us just the same way it was important to the generations before us.
MCCAMMON: You mentioned the attack in the 1960s. Beth Israel, as I understand it, is the only synagogue in Jackson. It has a long history with the Civil Rights Movement. That attack in the 1960s was carried out by the Ku Klux Klan. And one of the reasons was the rabbi at the time was supporting the Civil Rights Movement. How do you think about that legacy in a moment like this?
MYERS: I couldn't help but put myself in their shoes. You know, what did the congregation do then? What were the leaders working towards? - whether or not that they were in the spot to align themselves with the Civil Rights Movement at a time that, you know, that was quite violent and difficult. Myself putting - in the congregation, now, I have to align myself with things that are violent and difficult. That choice wasn't given to us, to me. And that's what I'm leading with the kids, as well. You know, it it is our responsibility as this Jewish community in the Deep South, to be educators about Judaism, to be inclusive, to be welcoming, to be loud about our Judaism in a way that people understand us, and there can be more love and appreciation than the hatred that we've seen.
MCCAMMON: Were there some items you were able to recover?
MYERS: A lot of the items in the building will be able to be recovered and cleaned, but the majority of what was in that library space is no longer. The artifacts that we recover will tell a story of a congregation that has been attacked twice but is stronger than ever and continues to remain.
MCCAMMON: Those scrolls have their own history, don't they?
MYERS: There was one in the lobby in - behind a glass case, which was the Holocaust Torah. So decades ago, we have Holocaust survivors here in the congregation, and they had worked to get a Torah that was from Prague, you know, from - that was damaged during the Holocaust. And it was on display in our congregation as a reminder of never again.
MCCAMMON: And that one was able to be salvaged?
MYERS: And that one was able to be salvaged, yes.
MCCAMMON: You know, the idea of the humanity of all people, whatever their race or religion, has been a part of the movement for civil rights for a long time. Is there anything that comes to mind from the Jewish tradition as you think about and as you talk to the kids about how to move forward?
MYERS: The one thing that keeps getting me, keeps, you know, making me weep is music. And I'm playing some of these Jewish songs that I really haven't listened to in a long time. And one of them is this song called "Kehila Kedosha," which means Holy community. And how each of us really must work - it's holy work, but we have to work to maintain a Jewish congregation, to maintain Jewish life. We have to put in the work to make this world a better place. And whether that's, you know, our Jewish community or it's the entire faith community of Jackson or it's the world, like, it is up to us. It is up to us. And I feel that more than ever. I really do this week.
MCCAMMON: Rachel Myers is a leader of the religious school at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi. Thank you so much.
MYERS: Thank you, Sarah.
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