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Thank You from JCC
MetroWest
Thursday, October 29,
2009 | |
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Dear JCC
MetroWest Members,
As you may
know, the Westboro Baptist Church picketed outside the
Cooperman JCC on Tuesday, displaying disturbing signs and
bringing their anti-Semitic and anti-gay rhetoric to West
Orange. The WBC is a fringe extremist group from Topeka,
Kansas and their main goal seems to be garnering publicity for
the group and its hateful messages. Given that this event was
forced upon us as a community, I am pleased to report that we
joined together in a peaceful, uplifting demonstration of
solidarity and that the day passed without
incident.
Over 150
people gathered in Steiner Court for a community dialogue in
objection to the prejudiced discourse of the Westboro
group. Representatives from groups throughout Essex
County came to stand with our Members and Guests, including a
Unitarian Universalist Minister, several rabbis, members of
the Maplewood/South Orange Coalition on Race, Jewish
educators, and the New Jersey Director of the Anti-Defamation
League (ADL).
We owe a
significant measure of gratitude to the West Orange police and
to JCC security staff for their role in assuring a safe and
secure environment at our facility. Thank you to our
Board of Trustees as well as JCC staff for their strong
leadership and personal participation. We would also like to
express our most sincere appreciation for the outpouring of
support we received via email, letters, and phone calls, and
from all who were able to join us at the JCC. We thank you for
heeding our requests to conduct "business as usual" as the
best defense against intolerance and bigotry. At the
same time the WBC was picketing outside, the JCC held early
childhood classes, senior adult programs, programs for adults
with special needs, health & fitness activity, and much
more. By not altering our daily routine, we were able to
demonstrate our commitment to the Jewish community in a
peaceful and powerful way.
Thank you for
joining us in promoting tikkun olam (repairing the
world). Our mission is to build an inclusive Jewish
community that celebrates the strength of its
diversity.
Sincerely,
Alan
Feldman
Chief Executive
Officer
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