Good morning. I am Rick Wiener, President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, and as I extend my greetings and best wishes to you as we celebrate this High Holidays together, I have three joyous assignments to fulfill.
The first is to extend these greetings to you and thank you for gathering today at the historic Bethel Community Transformation Center – and to say several thank you’s. The second is to make an “ask” – but it’s not quite what you expect. And the third is, briefly, to say something uplifting but not provocative or controversial. I’ll do my best with that one.
Some of you are regulars. Some of you are periodicals. Some of you are annuals – and a few of you are brand new. Whatever your frequency, we welcome you joyously. You make these services meaningful.
A special thank you Pastor Aramis Hinds and his teammates to the Bethel Community Transformation Center not just for making our celebrating the High Holidays possible in this historic site, but for doing so many wonderful acts, some in partnership with IADS, to improve lives, especially in Detroit. Thank you to Rabbi Rachel Shere for leading these services, to our Cantorial team, Torah readers, and especially to the staff of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, for their respective Herculean efforts in making these services a reality. And once again I thank you, part of the sprawling family affectionately known as Jews, for being here to worship together.
For over a century, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue has provided High Holiday services without charge to its participants, and services throughout the year on Shabbat and Holidays. It is the last freestanding synagogue in the City of Detroit and does not charge membership dues. It depends on the generosity of people who care about its existence.
So I am making this ask: what can you give that will make you feel good? You see, I have never liked the expression, “Give until it hurts.” That’s not what we were taught as kids. If it hurts, it’s because you haven’t done enough, and perhaps you were feeling just a little self-conscious about it. So – what is it?
If you have time, give of your time, and give generously of it. If you have talents or skillsets, give of your talents and skillsets and share both of them generously. And you can contribute during this season or throughout the year, so please, give until it feels good. But, I’m asking for one additional gift - and it costs nothing.
I’m asking you to give some understanding, thoughtfulness, and kindness. While, I hope this has been overall a good year for all of us, it hasn’t been a uniformly good year, in all likelihood, for any of us.
Just recently, this synagogue lost a giant, when Martin Herman died just a few days shy of his 96th birthday. As one who knew him for almost 60 years, I mourn his loss and cherish his memory. For many years, he held things together when IADS was struggling for its very survival. He was brilliant and worldly. He was also the kindest person you will ever meet. Even in the most contentious of moments, he was gentle to all, even those he most stridently disagreed with.
As Jews we could use more of that. The world could use more of that. Let’s face it – these are tense times. There’s a lot of societal discord, economic insecurity, political acrimony, and international disorder. Some of it is surrounded by our abhorrence of rising antisemitism and the increasing acceptance of it. Some of it is domestic, and some of it international, and some of that involves Israel.
As Jews, we always have strong opinions on everything. You know the old saying: “if you put three Jews in a room, and ask them for their opinion, you will get five opinions.” Recently, however, I feel that we are getting less accepting, both of our differences and of each other. Just remember this: that Jews are a bonded family, and a small one at that. I hope that, in the coming year, we will be both comfortable with our own points of view, and treat with kindness the people whose views might otherwise set us on edge. A little more patience with others will be amongst the greatest gifts we can give. Giving kindness as well as charitable acts - financially and of time and talent - is in my view, genuine Tzedakah, and it would be a fitting tribute to Marty’s memory.
May this coming year be a joyous and healthy one, and may G-d bless you and the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue.