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October 19, 2001/Cheshvan 2, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 6
Taking responsibilityEditorialOur nation is at war. Insidious, elusive enemies have attacked our nation's defense infrastructure and the world's financial nerve center from the air, killing more than 6,000 and injuring thousands more.Our enemies are using our public mail system to spread poisonous anthrax to government officials, media offices and other targets nationwide. One person is dead, scores have been exposed and the U.S. Capitol building has been closed while inspectors ferret out all traces of the deadly substance. Our anxiety and fear are understandable. We don't know where our enemies will strike next. But this is no excuse for paralysis or paranoia. Individually, as families and as a community, we must respond constructively, productively, proactively. Tradition teaches that every Jew is responsible for every other Jew. This speaks of the power of community. Alone and isolated, we are ill equipped to oppose our common foe. When we connect with one another and pool our resources, we can act from a position of strength. We want to know what we must do to protect ourselves and protect each other. We look to our Jewish community leaders to take the initiative in arming our agencies, organizations, synagogues and individuals with vital information so that individually and collectively we can proceed with informed caution, confidence and courage. We look to our communal institutions to be models of strength and stability, even when the inclination to lay low seems a safer option. Knowledge and training will help us be more aware of our surroundings, to understand how to screen visitors, phone calls and e-mail; how to handle letters and packages; how to recognize suspicious persons. Then with new confidence we will gather as a community at familiar locations - from schools and synagogues to the mall and Bank One Ballpark - armed with prudence in the place of fear. The time is now for our community to unite, to share information, knowledge and reassurance. We are all responsible for one another. |
