RABBI MARCIA'S REFLECTIONS FROM TUSLA… Last week I visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, to commemorate the centennial of the
Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The unspeakable acts of violence and destruction against Tulsa’s successful African American population living upon the
40 acres of land known as the Greenwood District that flourished from 1906 – 1921 were kept a secret from Oklahomans for eight decades. Not a word was written about it in any state history books and children of all races learned nothing about it in school. Articles were removed from newspapers and hundreds of bodies were dumped in mass graves, never to be seen again. Shameful.
At the dawn of the 21st century, when people began to unearth the truth of what happened, they were able to find information in local Yiddish newspapers of the time that wrote about this sickeningly American pogrom of monumental proportion. Most of what was the downtown area made up of a beautiful hotel, shops of all kinds, a hospital, entertainment venues and everything else one might expect to see in a thriving neighborhood is now buried under Tulsa’s OSU campus and a minor league baseball field. People can visit a commercial street remnant, and there is one formerly residential street lined with “steps to nowhere.” These steps briefly led to new, beautiful Tulsa homes inhabited by 1200 Black families, many of whom were one or two generations away from slavery. These houses had driveways – which means that, in 1921, residents owned cars!
I spent special time with my friend and colleague, Rabbi Dan Kaiman, who is haunted by the fact that his lovely home about 5 miles from the Greenwood District was built in 1921. His steps lead to a well-built, large home full of life, love and compassion. Think about the generations of people that settled in Greenwood and tasted the American Dream for 15 years and then lost everything – because of hate, jealousy and prejudice! And Greenwood was not the only place that this kind of senseless destruction against up-and-coming Black communities took place, sabotaging opportunity and hope for a heartlessly oppressed people.
Jews began settling in Tulsa around 1907, and two Tulsa synagogues were established in 1917 – one Orthodox and one Reform. Many Jewish families protected those they knew in the vulnerable African American community from the White supremacists bent on their destruction during and after the extended riot. Currently, as reparations are being negotiated for the 3 remaining survivors – ages 105, 106 and 107 – as well as for decedents of the thousands of victims, major players moving this forward are Jewish philanthropists in the area, even though they were never the perpetrators. Behind my heavy heart, I feel a deep sense of pride to be a part of a people that cares deeply and understands what it means to be despised because we are different. Much of the funding that has gone into restoring what is left of the historic Greenwood District has been donated by Tulsa Jewish families.
I encourage you to learn more about this hidden American tragedy. In light of current events, we realize that this living example of hate that caused so much death, destruction and residual psychological damage still lives among us and is growing. We may think we are protected from it, but, in truth, American democracy and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans is drifting from our grasp.
When the Germans elected Hitler in 1933, they did not know that this would be the last election for decades to come that would reflect the will of every German citizen. Americans may well know the same in just a few years. Shocking!
But wait, there is more! As today is
Rosh Hodesh Tammuz, I share
this disturbing article written by Anat Hoffman about an ugly event that took place in Israel earlier today as the
Women of the Wall were holding their monthly Rosh Hodesh celebration that included two
b’not
mitzvah celebrations. A large group of ultra-Orthodox pre-bar mitzvah- aged boys were sent into the women’s section of the Kotel to destroy their
siddurim. The Israeli guards could not prevent the attack. As Anat points out, what starts with books generally means that violence against people is not far behind.
Finally, we associate Rosh Hodesh with the miraculous ebb and flow of our precious natural world. The Psalm associated with this mini monthly celebration of renewal and atonement is
104-35 verses that paint the earth’s majestic design in poetic form. I was listening yesterday to a piece on NPR about how our National Park Services are devoting extensive time and energy to figuring out how our treasured parks and their 4-legged inhabitants are being impacted by global warming.
This 2008 article about the disappearance of the Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park was written before the hottest 10 years on record ever happened. One commentator said yesterday, somewhat tongue in cheek but not really, that they are considering renaming it – The Park Formerly Known as Joshua Tree. Every corner of the earth is being impacted by man-made climate change, instigated and perpetuated by the same human inclinations that lead people to kill one another. This method of extinction is just happening in a less obvious, but even more insidious and far-reaching manner.
We must understand and acknowledge the gravity of all that lies before us in order to become part of communities that work toward productive solutions. I share my local and global concerns in hopes of generating substantive community conversations and actions. Thank you for “listening,” and stay tuned for upcoming collaborative opportunities to be the change you wish to see.
Hodesh Tov and
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin 
