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Why do we matter in this world?
A question posed by Rabbi David Wolpe. If we only matter because we have a good job,
are wealthy or good looking, this is not enough. For when these things change, we have nothing.
He teaches us that we must base ourselves on something that doesn’t change, so that
we may always be worthwhile. When I listened to his words it struck me
that my involvement with the Jewish community has been my way to express SOMETHING that
doesn’t change: my love of the Jewish people, the expression of our Jewish values, and the
commitment to Jewish survival.
I first recognized that “something” when I made a visit to the Shorefront Y in Brooklyn
where a group of newly arrived Russian immigrant women were learning English. We were introduced
as the people who had helped bring them to America. And with that, one of the women took
my hand and said thank you.
That woman had come from Riga, Latvia, where my grandmother had come from and I realized
that that her story could have been mine. I also realized that the work I was doing
was about saving lives and giving people the chance for a new beginning. That lady from
Riga and her thank you led to a lifetime of work in the Jewish community.
But it was a day in May 1991 when I realized the true power of the work I was privileged to be involved
in. Standing on the tarmac in Israel, we watched planeload after planeload bringing 14,000
Ethiopian Jews, evacuated from civil war, coming home to the land they had longed for
for 2,000 years. It was witnessing a miracle seeing an entire people at risk brought to
safety and welcomed by the entire country of Israel.
I learned that day how much the work we do matters. I also learned that when people come together leaving their differences at
the door, anything is possible.
My pearl would be find that “something” that will stay with you forever.
We don’t have to take care of all the world’s problems, but if each of us focuses on what
we can do to make a difference, each of us can help reduce suffering in the world and
increase understanding. The world will be better and we will find that special something
that will never change. And, we will know why we matter.