Caller ID has become a rather important part of my life. Especially when my cell phone rings with an unexpected area code and I have no idea who's calling, I've taken to letting the call go to voice mail. I've found that without fail, if it's a call for me, the caller leaves a message, the rest do not. In any case, identification has proved useful.
The same holds true in other areas of life as well. When a person drove a van into a crowd of Muslim worshippers on their way home after services to break that day's Ramadan fast with the Iftar Meal, it took far too long for reports to identify the incident for what it was, terror against the Muslim community. Sadly, many who did not identify the incident as terrorist would have quickly used that term if the target had been members of their own faith community. In this case, lack of identification speaks volumes.
I'm proud that TAY's Blessed Ramadan sign is still up* on Kimber Road. The sign tells those who drive something about our values. It identifies us as a congregation which values all people of good-will, not defining people by religious belief.
The same can be said of our lobby poster which identifies TAY as an inclusive congregation. Even when we think our values are obvious, it's important to be identify them to be clear about them. Join us in being clear about our thanks to Dr. Howard Weinstein for his years of leadership and the wisdom he has shared with us as he steps down from the presidency at our Annual Meeting next week.
*Last year our sign disappeared in early Ramadan.
