Showing up against hate

reneerubinross
Aug 28, 2017 · 2 min read
photo from KQEDnews, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DIQl_NEXgAAytJP.jpg. Ben Stern is in the middle with the white beret.

Today our family went to a rally against hate to show our support against the white supremacists who threatened to march in Berkeley, California. The event was advertised as a peaceful gathering but we felt concerns about being there. Yet we knew that if Ben Stern was there, we needed to be there too.

Ben Stern is a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor who now lives in Berkeley. He survived ghettos, death marches, concentration camps and the death of most of his extended family. When he was liberated in 1945, he was 24 years old and weighed 78 pounds.

After the war, Ben met his wife in a displaced persons camp and immigrated to America, settling in Skokie, IL. In 1977, he faced the Nazis once again, as they organized throughout Skokie and threatened to march through the town. Ben rallied the community to oppose the march.

In addition to a career as a businessman, Ben has volunteered his time speaking with audiences of all ages about his story. Recently, his daughter Charlene Stern made a documentary film, Near Normal Man, about Ben’s life and his work as an educator. Charlene is an active member of our synagogue.

Last week, Charlene announced that a screening of Near Normal Man scheduled for today would be cancelled. It was to be held in a location near a white supremacist rally. Given the violence associated with these rallies, the Berkeley police had asked everyone to stay away.

Charlene said that she and her father did not plan to stay at home. They would not go to the site of the planned white supremacist rally. But they were organizing an earlier rally against hate, to show that Berkeley would not tolerate white supremacists. They hoped that thousands of people would come out to support them.

This morning, it was a struggle to get our family out of the house. Our daughters had heard something about what happened in Charlottesville and felt fearful. They dragged their feet. For myself, I can’t say that I “wanted” to attend.

We went to the rally. From what we saw, it was a peaceful gathering. We didn’t stay long, just long enough to be present and see that thousands of others had also come out.

Our presence was a message to Ben Stern and to all of us. We’re not willing to bury our heads in the sand while the flames of hatred burn higher and higher. No.

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