Riverside gets diversity right
Thursday, August 23, 2007
By YITZHAK MILLER
A generation ago, most American Jews hid their ethnicity, trying to avoid prejudice. This generation, Jews have learned to be proud of their identities, their heritage, and of Judaism's place in the fabric of American life.
The "melting pot" metaphor has been replaced by the "salad bowl" -- where diverse groups remain both proud and embracing of others.
This is a very difficult balance. Anytime we celebrate one thing, someone else will be offended.
For decades, society's best answer was, "Don't celebrate anything except capitalism and Hallmark cards." We've relegated Christmas and Easter to lighted trees and colored eggs; the only Judaism most people know is chicken soup and pastrami sandwiches; and the only time most Americans use the word "Islam" is in the same sentence with "terrorism."
How sad that this is how we often think of the three great monotheistic traditions whose adherents account for half the world's population!
Riverside claims a commitment to multiculturalism. The "inclusive community statement" from the mayor's office says: "Increasing diversity means that all of us ... need to learn continuously about our differences. ... Institutions should provide formal opportunities to learn about diversity."
As such, Temple Beth El, the city's only synagogue, was asked by the mayor's multicultural forum to coordinate a "Jewish cultural faire."
But things get tricky when the words "religion" and "government" appear in the same sentence. The First Amendment states: "(Government) shall make no law ... prohibiting the free exercise (of religion)." So how should governments honor this principle without endorsing specific religions?
For too long, the fear of perception of inequality has strangled governmental institutions into avoiding the topic of religion. The First Amendment does not state "government shall discourage religion." It simply states government should not "respect" -- endorse -- any particular religious tradition. (The greatest "you can't win" argument I've ever heard is that laws prohibiting a connection between government and religion are unconstitutional because they show a government bias in favor of atheism!)
Riverside government was put to the test with the Jewish cultural festival because Judaism is both a culture and a religious tradition. The mayor's office and the development department were particularly challenged when they were asked to support the festival, but another part of city government told them no religious symbols could be used on publicity materials.
But with Judaism, the cultural symbols are also religious symbols. So what to do?
The "inclusive statement" recognizes that: "Riversiders face opportunities and challenges related to diversity." This is a process, and as we work toward our goals, we will encounter situations that are difficult to resolve.
The city could easily have taken the lowest-risk approach, but it didn't. The development department spent a good portion of a day working hard to broach a compromise. Ultimately, the city concluded that symbols such as the Star of David and the Menorah could be used on publicity materials, provided that they were focused on their cultural, rather than religious, intent.
Situations like these test our commitment to our principles on a daily basis. Platitudes are easy. Standing by them is difficult.
The multicultural forum's statement continues: "It is increasingly imperative that Riversiders ... assume the responsibility of facing the challenges and seizing the opportunities created by diversity." When faced with these challenges, we have two choices: sink to the lowest common-denominator, or find a way to demonstrate our commitment to the beautiful diversity of our society.
Kudos to Riverside for choosing the latter.
Yitzhak Miller is the rabbi of Temple Beth El in Riverside.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/localviews/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_24_miller_dp_loc.3b64d84.html
