Hate has no home here! We are all one people! We should all accept our differences and love one another -- blacks and whites, Native Americans and Congolese, Jews and Christians! That is, assuming we're all Democrats and actively despise all Republicans and especially Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
That was the take-away from last night's panel discussion at the South Portland Jewish Community Alliance, where my husband and I went for a screening of Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life. The documentary reports on the aftermath of the shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 that ended the lives of eleven congregants and wounded six during Saturday morning services. It remains the deadliest act of anti-Semitism in America to date. The perpetrator, a 50-year old "white supremacist," was caught, tried and sentenced to death. (He is currently in a federal prison in Indiana.)
Although the subject was dire, the film was fabulous. Beautifully shot featuring drone footage high over the city of Pittsburgh in autumn, many of the images were stunning. On the ground we were introduced to survivors of the attack three years later, and saw how they were coping with the tragic loss of their loved ones. It was quite inspiring to see the various faith leaders of the city, including Christians and Muslims, coming together to wholeheartedly mourn with and support the Jewish people.
The discussion after the film was not so good. Despite the copious spread of bagels, lox, cream cheese, capers, sliced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers uniting all of us as Jews, the conversation did some damage if you were not a Democrat, something that was assumed by the speakers on the podium and most of the audience. "I'm sure all of us here in this room watch CNN and MSNBC," said one man who spoke up, inferring that anyone who watches anything else is deplorable.
One of the panelists, supposedly a rabbi although I had my doubts, made several derogatory and downright hateful comments about Donald Trump, earning him obvious vocalized favor with the crowd. His further observation that "Ron DeSantis hates anything woke" also received a positive response from the roughly 40 attendees. Naturally, both my husband and myself kept quiet because that's what Republicans do; it's the Democrats who sow discord -- loudly, often and with much conviction.
The event made me realize that I feel more accepted among a group of gentile Republicans than Democrat Jews. But the movie was really good, and of course the lox and bagels helped. Still, it was deeply disheartening to learn that "Hate has no home here" excludes those of a different political party, Jew or not.
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