More Than Tolerance

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More Than Tolerance

Nov 5, 2018

Many of us are still reeling from the devastating news of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh. Our hearts go out to the family members of the victims and our prayers are with the injured and all who are in need of healing.

The Jewish Community is shaken by the event, which is the most violent incident against Jewish Americans in the history of the United States. We are devastated that this has happened. The Los Angeles Jewish Home's Holocaust survivors are particularly upset by the news. If only the attack of the Tree of Life congregation was in a vacuum, but we have learned there was a 58% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes just last year. Hate crimes against many other groups have increased, too.

What to do about this growing climate of intolerance of the "other"?

George Washington put the answer so brilliantly when he wrote a letter to the Touro Synagogue of Rhode Island in 1790. He said, "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States… gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."

George Washington promised us an America where intolerance would be abolished. And he went even further. He believed that tolerance was not enough. Because tolerance is the idea that the majority of the people somehow have the ability to "tolerate" a minority they may even dislike. Washington was effectively asking, "Who are you to tolerate them?" Rather, we all have equal and inherent rights. We are all entitled to safety, freedom and respect.

Has the America of 2018 forgotten this 1790 ideal and abandoned George Washington's promise? Perhaps. But Judaism has not.

Everyone is familiar with the commandment from the Torah to "Love thy Neighbor" (Leviticus 19:18). And there is that old joke that it is easy to love humankind but hard to get along with the guy next door.

Torah commands us to love our neighbor and, even more importantly, to love the stranger! We must not just tolerate, but love the other: love the one who is different; love the one with a different skin color; love the one who has an accent; love the one with different customs; love the one with different beliefs; love the one who is not from here.

Has the America of 2018 forgotten these ideals of tolerance and love which are echoed not only in Jewish ethics but in the principles of all the major religions? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

Did you hear about Wasi Mohamed, executive director of the Islamic Center for Pittsburgh? He announced funds were being raised by the Muslim community toward the care and support of the local Jewish community of Pittsburgh. Indeed, as of October 29th, two Muslim organizations raised nearly $200,000. One of the fundraisers, Tarek El-Messidi, posted these words, "Muslims: Let us stand with our Jewish cousins against this senseless, anti-Semitic murder." I am so touched. Now that is America!

At this time of concern and fear, we need to take seriously the rise of anti-Semitism, specifically, and of bigotry in general. But we also need to celebrate the solidarity of the entire Jewish community and take in the outpouring of love from our fellow citizens who are expressing their friendship and concern. We will not be intimidated and we will not give in to fear. As our people have always done, we will respond with courage, love and hope. We will remember we are not alone. We will overcome this together.

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Oct 2

Los Angeles Jewish Health Receives $1 Million Gift from Alfred E. Mann Charities

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Los Angeles Jewish Health Receives $1 Million Gift from Alfred E. Mann Charities

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Seniors and the Benefits of Social Connections

Los Angeles Jewish Health is dedicated to ensuring the wellbeing of thousands of seniors each year. Physical health is just one indicator of how older adults are faring; mental and social health are also critical markers. This was the focus of a recent event held at LAJH’s Fountainview at Eisenberg Village featuring noted scholar Lené Levy-Storms, PhD.An associate professor of social welfare and medicine/geriatrics at UCLA, Dr. Levy-Storms addressed a near capacity crowd in the Fountainview Theatre about the importance of nurturing and maintaining social connections. It’s a topic that is drawing more attention as researchers deepen their understanding of the ways in which social health impacts human lives.“It’s programmed in our DNA to be social,” Dr. Levy-Storms said. “In fact, scientific literature shows that not having adequate social connections can yield the same adverse health effects as obesity and smoking.”Dr. Levy-Storms addresses the crowd at the Fountainview TheatreThis year, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report detailing what he called the country’s current “epidemic of loneliness.” According to the report, too many Americans feel an acute sense of social isolation. Dr. Levy-Storms noted that shining a light on the problem is essential to fixing it, since lack of awareness has prevented the development of vital resources.“We don’t have a healthcare system designed to give us remedies when we’re ailing from social health issues,” she said. “Beyond the healthcare arena, there’s also a big emphasis in our society on building up financial capital, and especially saving for retirement and older age. But where’s our social capital? What’s going to sustain us to feel connected as we get older and start to lose some of the people in our lives?”Dr. Levy-Storms’ talk was part of LAJH’s larger efforts around assessing urgent community needs. “Part of being a licensed nonprofit hospital means continually gauging how best to serve the people who rely on our care,” says Ilana Springer, the CEO and administrator of LAJH’s Joyce Eisenberg Keefer Medical Center. “Our most recent assessment revealed that seniors are particularly susceptible to isolation and loneliness, with 20%-40% reporting feeling lonely at any given point in time.”The solution, in Dr. Levy-Storms’ view, is not just building new relationships throughout our lives—it’s also making sure they are meaningful ones.“What is a meaningful relationship? The key is to establish emotional connections,” she said. “This requires us to get into a mindset of finding common ground with other people. It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t have anything in common with this person,’ but we can change that through listening and connecting with them. Then, hopefully, we experience reciprocity, where the listening goes both ways.”At the conclusion of Dr. Levy-Storm’s talk, the audience moved outside to chat over brownies and lemonade, giving them a chance to forge new connections and put her advice into practice.