I received the attached from a friend in Massachusetts,ant thought that, as
academics and humane folks, many of you would be interested in the message
and, perhaps, in helping out.

Lala

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>Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1999 10:47:05 -0400
>To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
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>From: Bill Preble <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Neonazis, perhaps
>
>To some of my friends who might find this interesting.  Alex and Cathy are
>a couple who were friends of ours in Massachusetts, and moved to
>Sacramento.  Incidentally, they are a mixed race couple who published the
>local socialist paper in Somerville, Mass. and were members (with us) of
>College Avenue United Methodist Church.      Sincerely, Bill
>
>Return-Path: <[log in to unmask]>
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1999 01:49:23 EDT
>Subject: News from Sacramento ... and 1 Cheer for the Methodists
>To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
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>
>Dear Friends,
>
>By now you may have heard that last weekend three synagogues were
>simultaneously hit by arson around Sacramento, California (I've been told it
>was reported on Page 5 of the Boston Globe).  See pasted below an E-Mail
that
>was forwarded to Cathy and me from a friend.
>
>This is a very sad story.  There is, however, a paragraph toward the end
that
>should make us all proud to be Methodists.  It so happens that our annual
>Conference was being conducted that very weekend in Sacramento.  You can see
>from this account that our brothers and sisters really did the right thing.
>John Wesley, looking down from heaven might have smiled.
>
>Peace,
>
>Alex Walker
>Cathy Deppe
>
>San Jose, California
>
>========================
>
>
>Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 17:26:18 -0700
>From: "Adams-Blake Co." <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: A Saturday Request  6/19/99
>
>
>A Saturday Request  6/19/99
>
>http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local01_19990619.html
>
>I have long said that book publishers are the "keepers of the culture."  And
>I have long held (although not in public) that the Jews are the mothers and
>fathers of the culture.
>
>I'm sure that most of you have heard about how three synagogues in my home
>of Sacramento, CA were firebombed early Friday morning (see link above) and
>perhaps you have heard about the pains of despair that so many Jews around
>the country are feeling. And, of course, these feelings run even stronger
>among those of us who are members of one of the temples.
>
>I have been a member of Congregation B'nai Israel for the past 17 years.
>This is our 150th anniversary. We are the oldest congregation West of the
>Mississippi.
>
>All day yesterday members of our temple (as Jewish congregations go, we're
>on the large side with 900 families) phoned each other seeking news about
>how bad it really was, etc. since we were not allowed anywhere near the
>site.
>
>Was this the beginning of another reign of terror for us? Was this another
>Kristalnacht?
>
>We talked about how this could happen in America? What have we done? Why do
>they (still) hate us so much? Aren't we good members of the community? We
>volunteer for local services and donate funds to good civic causes. All we
>ask is to be allowed to worship the way we wish and to be allowed to keep
>our culture alive in our own homes and temples. We don't seek converts. It
>is not a "we're better than you are," or "God loves us more than you." All
>we ask is that we be allowed to live in peace, brotherhood, and safety
>within the dominant Christian community. We don't want to bother or threaten
>the dominant community. Just allow us to "to be." Is that so hard?
>
>And on one night, in my hometown, they firebombed three of our temples. Not
>in New York, or L.A. But here.
>
>They must live here. Who would come in from out of town to our small city
>and our small Jewish congregation? It must be local people, and if so, why?
>We don't bother anyone.
>
>We heard via our phone tree as well as the local media, that our weekly
>Friday Sabbath service would be held in the 2,000 seat Community Theatre.
>
>I wasn't going to go at first. I'm not religious and don't often go to
>Friday night services. However I thought that someone should be there to
>"stand up" to the terrorists who would attempt to rend and destroy us. Even
>though it was announced that everyone (Jew/non-Jew) was invited (this is
>normal for Reform congregations) I figured that there would only be 150 or
>250 people there, enough to fill up a few rows in the huge theatre, which
>has two balconies.
>
>When I arrived I was totally surprised.
>
>Eighteen hundred people from all over our community, Jews, Catholics,
>Buddhists, Hare Krishna's, and members from every sect of the Protestant
>community was there. There were members from black churches, gay churches,
>Asian churches, as well as atheists, agnostics, and some of the followers of
>so-called "new age" spiritual leaders. There were ministers, bishops, city
>council members, the police chief, the FBI, ATF, and representatives from
>the state legislature and governors office.  Never have I seen such an
>outpouring of grief and concern from the community... for Jews.
>
>One of the most touching groups was the Methodists. It seems they were
>having a large convention here in Sacramento. And when they heard about the
>bombings, many decided they wanted to  pray with us. And so there were
>hundreds of them all wearing their convention badges. And they circulated
>through the waiting crowd explaining who they were and why they were there.
>What a wonderfully kind thing to do.
>
>A Reform Jewish Friday night service is not what you might expect. It is not
>solemn and "dignified." It is the "Celebration of the Sabbath" where workday
>thoughts are put aside and the hearts of the parents turn toward the
>children and the hearts of the children turn to the parents.  We sing, clap
>hands, say prayers, listen to the Rabbi and Cantor (who leads the music)
>banter with each other, and of course hear a sermon, often filled with
>humor. It is a happy service.... and usually short.
>
>But who could be happy? Our house of worship had been torched. Our entire
>library of 5,000 books was gone. Yet our Rabbi told us that we must
>persevere and that to not celebrate the Sabbath would be exactly what the
>terrorists would hope to achieve. And so we went on with our service.
>
>There were a number of speakers from our congregation and from the
>community. All were inspirational and devoid of the kind of sorrow, sadness,
>grief, or anger that you might expect.
>
>Our previous Rabbi, now retired, who served us for 22 years, flew in from
>Phoenix and reminded us that "we are the JEWISH people and that we have
>always survived and we will survive this as well."
>
>And we were putting on a brave front. We laughed, we sang, we applauded, we
>said the ancient prayers. We held up the best we could.
>
>Then something happened that I will never forget.
>
>Seated on the stage (known as a bema (bee-mah) in Hebrew... alter) were a
>number of our Temple's officers, as well as some of the "dignitaries" from
>the city. There was one very attractive blonde woman whom no one seemed to
>recognize. I heard the "buzz" of "who is that woman and why is she there."
>Toward the middle of the service our Rabbi said he wanted to introduce us to
>a Rev. Faith Whitmore and she got up and went to the podium. She was either
>the local, or regional head of the United Methodist Church, who was having
>their convention. And she spoke briefly about how appalled she was and her
>brethren were about these incidents.
>
>We've heard it before. From the Pope on down, all through the years its been
>"Gee, sorry for the Holocaust but there's nothing I could have done about
>it."
>
>She reached into her suit coat and took out a piece of paper.
>
>"I want you to know that this afternoon we took a special offering of our
>members to help you rebuild your temple and we want you to have this check
>for six thousand dollars." For two seconds there was absolute dead quiet. We
>were astounded. Did we hear this correctly? Christians are going to do this?
>On the third second the hall shook with a thunderous applause. I've never
>heard applause like that before. And it went on for two minutes. And then
>people broke into tears. Me too. It was like all of the emotion of the day
>and evening poured out in those few minutes.
>
>Those in my parent's generation were dumbfounded. Who ever heard of Gentiles
>caring about Jews? The idea of a Gentile coming up to a Jew and saying "I
>want you to know how sorry I am" was beyond the ability of many of our
>members to cope. And I have to admit that I too, the old curmudgeon that I
>am, felt so much emotional gratitude for these lovely people, who were not
>even part of our community or city.
>
>As Rev. Whitmore gave the check to the Rabbi and hugged him, it was one of
>the most emotional moments I've ever been witness to. In my entire lifetime
>I've never known an organized Christian denomination to officially do
>anything "nice" for a Jewish congregation. Our congregation, some 1100 of us
>stood with tears in our eyes. Christians who for centuries sent the Cossacks
>to pillage our towns, who put us through their Inquisitions, who burned us
>at the stake as heretics, who expelled us from their countries, who locked
>us away in tiny shtetls (shtet-ell... a poor Jewish town like in Fiddler on
>the Roof), who eagerly turned us into the Nazi SS, and who ran the trains,
>who produced the poison gas, or just "knew" about the greatest human tragedy
>of this century.... were doing something good for a Jew. Nothing in my life
>prepared me for that. It's one thing to say "I'm sorry, it's too bad," but
>it is quite another to put $6,000 behind it and not even be from the
>community!!!  When this is all behind me, I'm going to find out who the head
>Methodist deacon, pope, minister, or whatever he/she is called, get the
>address and write a warm thank-you letter... as will every member of our
>congregation.
>
>The evening closed with a final hymn and we all went home feeling a bit
>better.
>
>It didn't really hit me until this afternoon when I drove down to the temple
>(about 20 miles from my home) and saw the charred remains of the library
>wing. The place was swarming with ATF, FBI and other agents, collecting
>materials for the investigations. One ATF agent said that this is being
>classified as an "act of domestic terrorism" and has been given the highest
>priority. When you see the destruction of something that was "yours,"
>something you helped build, and something you were proud of, it hits you.
>The depression is awesome. It is just awesome.
>
>Why here? Why us? Why me? I'm sure there are answers, but I don't have them
>at the moment. The only answer I do have is that we must pick ourselves up
>as a congregation and  community (there were two other temples also heavily
>damaged) and move on. They can't beat us. We ARE the Jewish people. We were
>here 5,000 years ago, and we will be here 5,000 years from today.
>
>I'm going to end by doing something that may upset some of you. I'm going to
>call in whatever markers I might have. I've been writing A Saturday Rant for
>you for over four years now. I've contributed to the dialectic of the
>industry and have tried to be a force of positive change. In public I have
>done what I think has been right and for the best in our sector of the
>industry. In private, as some of you know, I give as much help and advice as
>I can to new publishers. I've always been honest with you and while I've
>made mistakes, on the whole I think I have been a good citizen of the
>industry and our small press community.
>
>We lost our ENTIRE 5,000 volume library. It saw it. It was soot. Not even a
>page remained. Nothing.
>
>It was a wonderful library of Jewish oriented books and films. It was a
>treasure of our congregation and it was used by hundreds of our members,
>especially the young people. In our community, mothers took their children
>to the Temple library as much as they took their children to the public
>library. It was part of "what we do."  Our books and videos were one of the
>ways we "socialized" our young people into our culture. And it works. We
>don't have a very high incidence of crime, substance abuse, or academic
>problems with our young people. We expect a lot from them and we make sure
>they have the tools and opportunities not to disappoint us.
>
>If you could find it in your heart to send a check for a dollar or two
>(five, ten, or whatever is in your heart) for our library fund, it would be
>what we call a mtizvah (a good deed.)  I told our Rabbi that I would ask
>every publisher in America through my Saturday Rant for a small
>contribution. You probably won't get any recognition or even a formal
>thank-you. But as a publisher you of all people should know what the loss of
>a library means to we who are known as "the people of the book."
>
>If this is something you could do, please make out a check to Congregation
>B'nai Israel and send it to me at Adams-Blake Publishing, 8041 Sierra
>Street, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. I will see that it gets to the right people.
>
>One final request.  Would one of you please post this to the Gundry list?
>Maybe someone there would like to contribute. And would all of you post this
>to any other private lists you are on?
>
>This will be the last Rant for a while. I usually take July and August off
>but I think I may begin my hiatus now. I have to heal as much as everyone
>else... and I have a lot of work to do this summer... not only in my
>business but to help rebuild our temple and community.  They have not beaten
>us.
>
>As our Torah teaches us..."And this too shall pass."
>
>And as the final benediction to every one of our services reads "May the
>Lord bless you, and keep you, and give you peace."
>
>====================================
>
**************************************
Oralia Preble-Niemi,Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Foreign Languages & Literatures
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN  37403
***************************************