It was not supposed to happen this way. I held off for as long as I possibly could. A Mishnah teaches, “Don’t separate yourself from the community.” Only in community can we find what we need to support life and well-being that depends on healthcare, education, housing, food, and neighbors. Though the Mishnah taught about a Jewish community, we can plainly see how it teaches about the broader community on which we depend, too. When past presidents of Beth Israel came to me in recent years and asked, “Should we build a perimeter fence around the synagogue property?” I used this teaching to explain that we are part of, and not apart from, the community around us. The answer was, “No, not now.” It was also a hopeful answer that there wasn’t anything we could do better for ourselves behind a fence that we couldn’t accomplish in company with our neighbors and community around us. Given the years that my predecessors at Beth Israel devoted to interfaith relationships, my commitment to their legacies and my own dedication to such relationships would still bear up to contemporary circumstances.

More than once, I said no to a fence around the synagogue property. Then Richard Kaplan, who was beginning his term as President, approached me in June 2022 to ask the now familiar question, “Is it time?” I recall the moment vividly because it came at a profound turning point. Signs in the world and data on antisemitism could not be denied and could not be understood in any other way except that the trajectory of antisemitism was growing longer and more concerning. I believed that it would get worse before it got better and that it would take many years to calm the raging storm of what we call Jew-hatred, today. Sitting together in my office, I replied to Richard Kaplan, “Yes, it’s time.”

Though the fence couldn’t be built quickly, it was planned, designed, and built with care, not only for the purpose it would serve, but also for the people it would welcome, protect, and secure. Now that the perimeter fence, a deterrent, is in place and soon to be completed, I’m pleased to say that I am joined by Beth Israel members and Shlenker School parents who agree that the fence looks like it’s always been here. It’s beautiful and strong, and it helps us feel confident about entering the property and the building.

The perimeter fence will do all of this for us, except for one obligation that we still bear, personally. As Jews and members of the larger community, we must continue to foster relationships with our neighbors. Talmud also teaches, build a fence around the Torah. It’s a metaphor for creating boundaries that enable us to focus on mitzvot (ritual and ethical commandments) to keep God’s covenant with us. But today we are literally building a fence around the Torah to safeguard all of us who are guardians of Torah and its teachings, and a reminder of everything we hold dear. If we bear our obligations well, then one day, a Temple president might ask me, instead, “Is it time to leave the gates open, again?” And on that day, I hope the answer will be, as it was in June 2022, “Yes, it’s time.”

Today, I am very proud of our congregational leaders who took it upon themselves to accomplish this critical project for us, our families and children, and for generations to come. Now I ask you, will you join me in bearing your portion of the obligation to finish building and paying for the perimeter fence, security cameras, and enhanced technology? Then, we can surely continue our work and duties as Jews and members of the larger community with courage, faith, and hope.

“May God grant strength to our people;
May God bless us and all God’s children with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

L’Shalom,