Security Surprizes

Like many others, I was shocked last month by the killing at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial. Shocked by the action, shocked that gunman was 89 years old, shocked that a man went to work one day never to return to his wife and child, shocked that a place dedicated to the memory of so many who had perished during the Holocaust was scene to yet another senseless killing. That evening I heard a National Public Radio report that a play about hate was to be performed that evening – a dialogue between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, the 14 year-old Chicago boy who was murdered in Money, Mississippi in 1955 for flirting with a white woman; two young children talking about the role of hate in their young lives. I could not help but wonder about the role of hate in my young son’s life. As a mother, some day I will have to explain such actions to my son. How does one begin to explain the hatred some people feel, hatred so deep and powerful that it drives them to feel justified in killing others to be heard?

On my first visit to a synagogue, I was struck by seeing a police officer outside the front door. I was used to seeing officers at church around weddings and funerals and holiday services, and thought it was the same at the Temple since I was there for High Holy Day services. Then I was told that there was security at the synagogue every day. That was a few years ago and I still think about that, why it is necessary in this country, in this world. I now know that security is present at every synagogue and Jewish Community Center, even in Israel. This bothers me, the need for security at a place of religion. It is a reminder that hatred exists everywhere.

I wonder now, some day will someone take a look at my son and dislike him or worse yet, hate him because of his religion? And then, how do I explain that? Raising a child in a religion I did not grow up in can be daunting. Not having shared experiences to draw on while raising my child makes me apprehensive at times. Apprehensive, that is, until I think about all of the other things I know little about, like raising a son, or getting a toddler to eat his vegetables or say please and thank you. I am learning as I go, making some mistakes, doing some things well (I think), and persevering in the best way I know how because I want my son to grow strong, learn about the world and be a good man. I think I know how to do that, and when I don’t, I reach out to others, to learn from their experiences. That in itself, is a lesson I want to pass along to my son. You do not have to know everything. That is the beauty of life – you learn as you go and you do the best job that you can.