It seems like a lifetime ago and yet yesterday at the same time.
I was home from school, pouring over the catalog, trying to choose my classes for the following semester. “What do you think about ‘History of the Civil Rights Movement’ with Julian Bond?” I asked my father.
My father gasped, “Julian Bond teaches at UVA (University of Virginia)???”
I could tell by his reaction alone that I should know who Julian Bond was, and he did not need to say another word for me to understand that I needed to take this class. Thankfully, I got in and spent a memorable semester learning from an incredible man.
I remember the day that he reminisced over sitting in classes with the late Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he wished he had recorded and saved those inspiring conversations. Suddenly bags rustled and clicks of tape recorders were heard from across the room.
I remember returning to class the week after the Million Man March on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Professor Bond asked who had attended and about our reactions. The first person to respond began his comments by quoting an interview he saw with Bond. Professor Bond interrupted the student, saying that he knew what he thought, he wanted to know what we thought. And just about every week, Professor Bond would slip in the phrase, “Coincidence? I think not!”
For me, coincidences are typically acts of God, signs from God. I am profoundly saddened by the death of Bond, who died Aug. 15 at age 75. Such a trailblazer – a founding member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, elected to the State of Georgia’s House of Representatives (although they voted not to seat him), former NAACP chairman and a founder and first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
I thought about what coincidence could I find, what hidden message might I learn this week? This week, the Torah (the five books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch) commands us, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” – “Justice, justice you shall actively pursue.” Throughout our lives we must constantly pursue; do not accept the status quo, rather dare to expect more.
Bond once said Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee’s legacy “demonstrated that ordinary women and men, young and old, could perform extraordinary tasks.” This is exactly the point of the Torah. We are not all giants and trailblazers, yet we can each achieve extraordinary and unimaginable results in our lives if only we have the courage to dream and the boldness to act. We need to get out of our chairs and do something. To bring God into the world we must act, we must create the paths for progress and opening the doors for God on earth.
There is an old joke that a flood was coming and everyone was warned to evacuate. One faithful person stayed, claiming God would help. A boat comes by and the owner urges the guy to get in, but he waves it off, saying God will help.
The water rises and the man climbs to the next level in his house. Again, another boater comes by, urging the guy to get in, but again, his response is the same: God will save him.
The water rises more, forcing the man to the roof. A helicopter comes by and, through a megaphone, a man calls out for the guy to grab hold of the hanging ladder. This time, too, the man waves off the helicopter. God will save him.
Once in heaven, the man is furious. Why did God not save him? God responds, “I sent two boats and a helicopter, what more do you want?”
This is our message this week. We cannot sit back and wait for God to save us. “Tzedek tzedek tirdof” – we have an active role in our destiny. Recently our city came under attack, yet we are strong. It is up to us to ensure Chattanooga remains strong. It is up to each of us to stand tall and stand together, marching and pursuing all of God’s paths of peace, blazing trails for a better, stronger, more peaceful tomorrow.
Rabbi Susan Tendler came to B’nai Zion Congregation in August 2012. She considers herself incredibly blessed to be married to Ross Sadoff and delight together in their two daughters, Hannah Sofia and Ella.