Do Not Subvert the Rights of the Stranger

I remember when I first heard of the ship called the St. Louis which in May 1939 carried 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Germany. Many of the passengers on the German liner had applied for US visas and were hoping to wait in Cuba and had planned to stay in Cuba only until they could enter the United States. The German government, on the other hand, knew that the passengers would have a hard time disembarking in Cuba and was hoping to exploit the unwillingness of other nations to admit large numbers of Jewish refugees to justify the Nazi regime's anti-Jewish goals and policies. I was devastated to learn that because of political conditions between Cuba and the United States and then the United States not allowing the refugees to land in Miami, almost all of the passengers returned to Europe and about a quarter of them died in the Holocaust.

The owners of the St. Louis knew before they even left Germany that most passengers wouldn’t be able to enter Cuba and yet no one told the passengers aboard. German officials knew that Jews would be turned away and yet, for their own benefit, they used humans who were scared for their lives, to prove a point. Despite cables sent to President Roosevelt, passengers were left in the dark as to what was to happen to them. While the passengers sat in the ship waiting to be told what would happen, food went bad and conditions deteriorated. The longer they waited, the worse it got. If they had been admitted onto our shores, imagine how it could have changed the lives of over 900 people and their descendants.  

In this week’s parsha, we receive a list of prohibitions, which if broken, will result in a number of catastrophic curses that could befall the Jewish people. Many of these prohibitions are personal sins. Many include outlines of social responsibility, how we treat those around us. In Deuteronomy Chapter 27, verse 19, it says “Cursed be the one who subverts the rights of the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.—And all the people shall say, Amen” Although we are aware of the evil the Nazis produced, and the horrible side effects it had on other countries, we are grateful that the US was able to open its doors eventually to many survivors and we hope those who are still in a position of being a stranger are being treated humanely.  

Shabbat Shalom

Ken Burns’ documentary U.S. & the Holocaust is premiering this week. As a part of that programming, WEDU (PBS) is broadcasting the three-part series on September 18, 19, and 20 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET. 

Click the link below for more details

The U.S. and the Holocaust - Ken Burns

If you'd like to continue learning after our Selichot Services or you are unable to attend, you can participate in the Rabbiical Assembly's Selichot Night Live.

Schedule can be found below, Source Sheets can be found Here, and you can join on Zoom or Facebook Live.  

Yahrzeits Dates: 9/16 to 9/22:

Aleksandra Leybenzon Meek          Friend of Nancy Graff

                                                        Friend of Deborah Greenberg

Irene Oakes                                      Mother of Allison Oakes

Jeanne Closner                                Mother of Karen Closner

Carolyn Haber Wilder                      Mother of Blake Wilder

Bernard Nastir                                 Father of Alan Nastir

Esther Robbins                                Aunt of Randie Specter

Blanche Alexander                         Mother of Jane Melamed

Maurice Kanarek                            Father of Keith Kanarek

Maria Dolores Belardo Espinosa   Mother of Olivia Espinosa

Dorothy Savage                             Aunt of Linda Shanker

Beatrice Kasoff                             Grandmother of Randie Specter

Donald Roetter                             Husband of Beverly Yeshion Roetter

                                                     Father of Adam Roetter

Gerald Solomon                            Uncle of Trudy Novak

                                                     Uncle of Ronna Hellman

                                                      Great Uncle of Jeffrey Fox

Edna Citrin                                   Mother of Paul Citrin

Daniel Vider                                 Father of Jackie Elias

Joseph Klempner                         Uncle of Michael Binder

Walter Sanders                             Father of Brian Sanders

Pennie Pearlman                          Mother of David Pearlman

                                                     Mother of Brian Pearlman 

Weekly Talmud Study with Rabbi Blatt.

Thursdays at 10:30am – 11:30am.

Join our Talmud Class - an all levels discussion of Talmud.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/624135476

Gutsy Torah

Saturday, September 24 at 8:30am – 9:15am

A weekly discussion of the Torah portion of the week.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/795031104

Meeting ID: 795 031 104

Pirkei Avot Study with Rabbi Marc Blatt after Services

(In Person & Livestreamed)

Saturday, September 24 at 12:30pm

Livestreamed here: www.kolami.org/streaming.html