My hands are shaking.
This week, a man named Donny has been preaching in the amphitheater that just about everyone is going to hell, especially "queers" and "queer supporters." Today I heard him speak for the first time and listened to his garbage for about twenty minutes. He was obviously speaking to a hostile crowd, and I was thinking to myself that he's getting all he's going to be able to get. He knows he can't convert any of his opponents, so he's hoping to convert someone who might be on the fence. Either way, his message gets spread even among a hostile audience. I knew that the only way to thwart his hateful message would be to deny him an audience.
I thought about that for some time as I listened to him. A man I came to know by the name of Ham joined Donny in the amphitheater and finally got an opportunity to speak against Donny. I forget exactly what he was saying (even though it was only ten minutes ago), but it had to do with hateful speech = throwing stones and not being righteous. As Ham was speaking, before I was able to consciously form my resolve, I found myself walking out into the amphitheater. "Well, here I am. Best say what I'm going to say." I told Ham, "I'm going to help you out" so that this gentleman wouldn't have to be concerned with what I was about to say. While I was waiting for my turn, I heard a few calls for encouragement, including from Sarah Schneider, who helped with the Sukkot Survivor Sleepout and who is in my Islam discussion. I beckoned to her to come join me - I don't know why. She came, and my strength was bolstered.
Ham finished speaking, and arm-in-arm with Sarah, I addressed the crowd:
"My friends! Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel while marching with Martin Luther King Jr. was asked 'Why aren't you in the synagogue praying?' He said, 'I am praying with my feet.' I'm asking you now to do the same. Let this man [Ham] have the last word. He [Donny] isn't going to convince you, and you aren't going to convince him. So I'm asking you - the only way we can make a statement now as a community is to get up and walk away. Send emails, write to the paper - but use your voice away from here. This is how we can stand up and walk away from this message. I ask you to pray with your feet now, and get up and leave."
Before I was even finished speaking, people were leaving. I started heading out through a smattering of applause, and Sarah gave me a hug. I was rather in a daze, not entirely sure what had just happened. I walked away and shook a couple people's hands - a few people I knew encouraged me. One student said, "That's the smartest thing I've heard said out there all day." I met Ham as we were walking away from the amphitheater, and he asked me if I were Jewish or Christian. I almost told him I'm the president of Hillel, but I wanted to be me and to speak from me, not on behalf of the Jewish community. He seemed very appreciative of what I'd said.
As I was walking away, my heart was fluttering and my hands were shaking (and were until five minutes ago). At the same time, though, I felt a tremendous thrill shooting through me. This is what it is to speak out for good. This is what it is to stand up against what we know is wrong. And it's incredible.
I don't know where to go from here, but I pray that my voice (and my feet) will only get louder from here.
I thought about that for some time as I listened to him. A man I came to know by the name of Ham joined Donny in the amphitheater and finally got an opportunity to speak against Donny. I forget exactly what he was saying (even though it was only ten minutes ago), but it had to do with hateful speech = throwing stones and not being righteous. As Ham was speaking, before I was able to consciously form my resolve, I found myself walking out into the amphitheater. "Well, here I am. Best say what I'm going to say." I told Ham, "I'm going to help you out" so that this gentleman wouldn't have to be concerned with what I was about to say. While I was waiting for my turn, I heard a few calls for encouragement, including from Sarah Schneider, who helped with the Sukkot Survivor Sleepout and who is in my Islam discussion. I beckoned to her to come join me - I don't know why. She came, and my strength was bolstered.
Ham finished speaking, and arm-in-arm with Sarah, I addressed the crowd:
"My friends! Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel while marching with Martin Luther King Jr. was asked 'Why aren't you in the synagogue praying?' He said, 'I am praying with my feet.' I'm asking you now to do the same. Let this man [Ham] have the last word. He [Donny] isn't going to convince you, and you aren't going to convince him. So I'm asking you - the only way we can make a statement now as a community is to get up and walk away. Send emails, write to the paper - but use your voice away from here. This is how we can stand up and walk away from this message. I ask you to pray with your feet now, and get up and leave."
Before I was even finished speaking, people were leaving. I started heading out through a smattering of applause, and Sarah gave me a hug. I was rather in a daze, not entirely sure what had just happened. I walked away and shook a couple people's hands - a few people I knew encouraged me. One student said, "That's the smartest thing I've heard said out there all day." I met Ham as we were walking away from the amphitheater, and he asked me if I were Jewish or Christian. I almost told him I'm the president of Hillel, but I wanted to be me and to speak from me, not on behalf of the Jewish community. He seemed very appreciative of what I'd said.
As I was walking away, my heart was fluttering and my hands were shaking (and were until five minutes ago). At the same time, though, I felt a tremendous thrill shooting through me. This is what it is to speak out for good. This is what it is to stand up against what we know is wrong. And it's incredible.
I don't know where to go from here, but I pray that my voice (and my feet) will only get louder from here.