The Jewish community is reeling after the antisemitic attacks of the last two months, from the firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro’s home to the murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in Washington, D.C., to the horrific violence this past week on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall – attacks directly and intentionally perpetrated against Jews.
In less than a month, Temple Emanuel in Denver will complete an 18-month leadership transition, marking the retirement of Rabbi Joseph R. Black and the appointment of Senior Rabbis Emily Hyatt and Elizabeth Sacks.
The three of us have been working toward this day for years, but we did not expect this change to take place amidst a backdrop of fear and uncertainty. We are three faith leaders who span two very different generations of Jewish life. We are almost 30 years apart in age and ordination, and we are reckoning with what it means to pass down responsibility for our community at this moment – and what it means to inherit it.
We are scared. Looking at the world through the prism of the past, it is hard not to feel like history is repeating itself – never-ending violent attacks against our people that fuel the despair so many in the Jewish community are feeling at this moment. This was not the world we imagined when we began our service to the Jewish people 40, 20 and 10 years ago. The fabric of Jewish community engagement has changed. We long to celebrate dynamic spiritual life, not continually address communal trauma in the face of hatred.
We are witnessing community compression. Forty years ago, Denver still had “Jewish neighborhoods” – places where Jews were welcome, because there were so many where Jews were unwelcome. While the generations above us felt pushed into closed Jewish enclaves, our generations have moved out and built deep connections across the state. The more than 2,000 families who belong to Temple Emanuel today live in every zip code and in every suburb of the Front Range. And yet, because of recent events, we see our community turning inward once again, both drawing in on our own and feeling pressed in by those around us – geographically, psychologically, and socially.
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We need partnership, understanding, and promises of support. To our non-Jewish neighbors: We treasure religious freedom – ours and everyone’s. Yes, we can be deeply divided across many different perspectives. We can challenge each other as we speak moral truths. And still, we can advocate for the basic safety and wholeness of each other’s communities. We are grateful for the personal expressions of concern that we received from some interfaith clergy over this past week, and we ask you to join us in publicly condemning the rise of hatred toward the Jewish community that we are experiencing. We need your presence.
Jewish tradition teaches that moments of transition help us to clearly see our current reality. We do and it is glaring. As Jewish leaders, we will use all our wisdom, from our two generations and the generations before us, to rise to this moment. We ask those around us to rise with us and for us as well.
Joseph Black has served as senior rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Denver since July 2010. Emily Hyatt and Elizabeth Sacks are incoming senior rabbis of Temple Emanuel Denver.
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