Guest Opinion: Can’t Forget:
Courage Still Necessary
We gathered for a movie, treats. Not earth-shaking.
Yet it was.
“We” were members of a local Jewish congregation. Why call this simple event “earth shaking”? Maybe earth-calming. Affirming. Radical.
It was declared, on social media, a national “Day of Hate.” “Against Jews.” “Non-violent.” The Jewish Federation got wind of it, put out a heads-up. Hopefully, history won’t record the date as significant.
Much to unpack. Social media — amazing for connecting, learning, celebrating / efficient to broadcast poison.
“Declared.” By whom, really? A teenager in a basement, furious about their math test? Drunk skinheads? Future mass shooter? Past president?
“Hate.” Typo — “Hats”? Hate. Might all hate begin with fear? Self disappointment? PTSD, chemical imbalance?
“Day.” Not the 1940s. Not ancient days. Not somewhere faraway.
“Jews.” Only those worshipping on Friday evenings? Only Holocaust refugees? You? Your neighbor? Your dental hygienist. Mixed-heritage grandchildren. My Episcopalian friend who discovered through Ancestry.com she’s, yep.
“Non-violent”? Isn’t hate itself violent? Aren’t declarations against any people violent? We’ve learned lies, vicious posts, incendiary whispers can create seeds of suspicion — spreading, sprouting, cracking us apart. Can spark mobs, riots, mass murder.
“Let’s have a sweet, calm First Amendment announcement that so-and-so is The Enemy.” Not benign.
So, on a regular ol’ weekend, antennae were raised. Calls, emails. “We’re canceling, right?” “I’m not going out.” “Home safe — lousy weather anyway.” “Let’s watch the movie on our own.” “Don’t share the post — don’t fuel it.”
“Will we have a hired guard outside the door, like the Holidays?”
Also, “Now I want to get together.” “I’m coming for sure; I’m calling others.”
“What? We didn’t hear.” “Today? I thought tomorrow. Today’s safe.”
Some drove to the venue, parked our cars, peered around the dark. Greeted each other with extra-long hugs.
Inside, we locked the door. Arranged chairs, set out cakes.
“Let’s first talk about, you know, please.” We shared tips from the “mass shooter safety training” we took: That exit’s good; the door opens from inside. There and there are other exits. Only thing to hide behind in this room: that cabinet. “Playing dead” doesn’t work. Note who’s here. What could you grab as weapons for defense?
We remembered to silence phones — but keep them close.
The documentary, “In Search of Memory” was fascinating. Neuroscientist Eric Kandel won the Nobel Prize for discoveries about how our brains’ changing structure creates and stores memory. Especially relevant for those of us concerned about aging loss.
Kandel, Jewish, honors the Holocaust slogan “Never Again,” linked to “Never Forget.” Approaching age 80, he visited his childhood home, Vienna, where growing terrors had forced his escape.
Though riveted to the screen, I regularly glanced around and toward the dark hallway. I couldn’t forget. Someone whispered, “What’s that sound?” “Oh, another group’s having a retreat upstairs, probably just them.”
Afterwards, we circled, noshed, discussing. “Kandel’s one of my heroes.” “New to me. Wow!”
And, “Wonder whether anything, uh, happened tonight.”
I drove home through a quiet town. Proud of our courage. Thankful the world seemed unshaken, in the horrible sense. We were safe. At least here. At least now.
— Jana Zvibleman
Natural Climate Solutions inside SB 530
Our USFS was established 100+ years ago: To protect water sources. (ONDA “Our Common Ground” re: Public Lands, March 14) Wisdom from our Past needs to be amplified by Oregon SB 530 Natural Climate Solutions.
Heartfelt reasons to urge passage by Sen. Knopp and Rep. Kropf are based on my Oregon experience since 1970. Having canoed, kayaked our rivers, we marvel over benefits ranchers have provided by changing practices to keep livestock away from streams, as on the John Day. Back aways, we canoed headwaters of the Wood River, experiencing Annie Creek join whereby it doubled the river’s volume. However, cattle were right next to the water: not good. SB 530 also includes estuaries. Witnessing remarkable western states’ restoration of estuarine life is a thrill for living into our 70s!
Farmers, ranchers, forest owners desire livelihoods grounded in natural resource economies: a MAIN POINT of SB530. Many constantly improve their land which also benefits city dwellers. When SB 530 is enacted, there will be funding for voluntary NCS (Natural Climate Solutions) helping Oregon leverage federal funding and private investment.
Natural and Working Lands (NWL) haven’t been defined. SB 530 defines and initiates policies advancing Natural Climate Solutions for such property. Want to learn more? Julia DeGraw helps: julia@olcv.org. This bill will “protect or enhance the ability of natural and working lands to sequester and store carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining or increasing climate resilience, human well-being, and biodiversity.” Oregon Conservation Network.
—Annis Henson
Letter of
the Week:
Thanks for keeping readers informed, Annis. Come on by for your gift card to Palate!
—Nicole Vulcan
This article appears in Source Weekly April 6, 2023.
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Thank you, Jana, for depicting such a significant gathering in a menacing time.
The Day of Hate “came as antisemitic attacks are increasing around the country. In 2021 the U.S. saw the highest number of incidents against Jewish people ever recorded by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group that has been tallying attacks on the Jewish community since 1979, and that number is almost certainly low due to underreported incidents. A survey from the ADL showed that the number of Americans who hold extreme antisemitic prejudices or believe in antisemitic tropes has doubled since 2019.” (Daytona Beach News-Journal, Feb. 24, 2023)