As we walked together in the past, we need to walk together today: Rabbi Judy at the NAACP National Convention

Our Executive Director, Judy Schindler, offered an invocation at the NAACP's Opening Praise and Memorial Service and participated on a panel on Faith and Activism with Dr. Corine Mack, President of the NAACP Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and Reverend Dr. Wendall Anthony, President of the NAACP Detroit Branch. Here's Rabbi Judy's invocation.

I want to open my invocation with a brief story.

Two children who were siblings often got into trouble. 

The mother brought the younger boy to a nearby church

to see if the pastor could talk some sense into her son. 

“Where is God?” The Pastor began.  

The little boy was silent.   

Again the Pastor asked, “Son, where is God?” 

The boy looked down giving an unknowing look.

And when the Pastor asked a third time, “Son, where is God?”

The boy jumped out of his seat, ran home and up the stairs to his sister’s room.

He slammed the door and shouted in fear, “We’re in big trouble now. God is missing and they think we had something to do with it.”

There are times in our world when it feels like God is missing, and we do have something to do with it. In the chaos of our world it may be hard to find God. But is our job to make God know - to be God’s hands, God’s heart, and God’s voice of change in the world.

I am a rabbi which means a teacher. I am honored and humbled to be here. 

I am here because I grew up learning of the power of interfaith partnerships and the power of Black-Jewish partnerships in the past and I am committed to laboring at those relationships today. We need each other to fight racism and antisemitism. We need each other to find comfort from our pain and liberation from oppression.

As we prayed together in Selma, Alabama,

As we registered voters together in Philadelphia, Mississippi,

As we were jailed together in St. Augustine, Florida, in the past,

we need to pray and labor together to advance justice today.

I want to teach you one Biblical word, “Hineini – here I am.”

Can you say that after me Hineini – here I am.

“Hineini – Here I am.”  “Hineinu – Here we Are.”

Some of us traveled thousands of miles to be here. Others of us have traveled mere city blocks. All of us have journeyed since the last National Convention through troubled waters and through troubled times and the impact of troubling policies that are harming those who have already been historically most harmed in our country.

Saying “Here I am” and being fully present can be hard.

It took Abraham nine trials by God before he responded to God’s call in the Book of Genesis with the words: “Hineini – here I am.”

It took Moses running away from his past before he likewise responded to God’s voice floating forth from a burning bush with the phrase:  “Hineini – here I am.”

Isaiah, too, struggled among the lost of Israel when he heard the voice of God asking, “Who shall I send? Who will lead us?” and Isaiah responded “Hineini shilachayni - here I am, send me.”

And we come together today facing the fierce urgency of now to say, “Hineini – here I am.”

Ready this morning to take in the mystical and magical experience of being in a mega convention – worshiping, praising and praying with hundreds of other members of the NAACP who share our passion for justice. 

And ready to learn together and commit to walking and working together

Like Abraham, saying “Hineini – here I am” requires leaving our place of comfort to take a journey.

Like Moses, saying “Hineini – here I am” requires hearing God’s voice and knowing we have an obligation to help lead others to liberation.

Like Isaiah, saying “Hineini here I am” requires stepping up to take on an important issue and saying, “here I am, send me.”

May we pray together with fervor.

May we work together for justice.

May we walk together toward a more promised place.

“Hineini – here I am.”