Distributing flyers and real whistles, teams from the synagogue and local churches asked dozens of nearby residents to watch out for suspicious activities in the wake of two springtime incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism at the synagogue.
An earlier rally outside Beth Jacob drew about 75 people from the Conservative congregation and at least 14 local churches, who gathered to show their solidarity against the hate attacks.
“There’s something in the culture right now that’s giving rise to this,” said the Rev. Melinda McLain of First Congregational Church. “If we’re silent, we’re complicit.”
The group heard speeches, sang a song and blew whistles before fanning out into the neighborhood.
“The impetus was some of the surrounding churches saying we want to help in any way we can,” said Beth Jacob Rabbi Nathaniel Ezray. “It felt very comforting to know our neighbors are standing with us.”
Ezray credited McLain, whose church is just a few blocks away from the synagogue, with spearheading the rally and whistle-blowing campaign.
McLain said the support for Beth Jacob was “a no-brainer.”
“Somebody is picking on Temple Beth Jacob, we’re going to show up,” said McLain, who noted that her church and the synagogue shared the same organist for more than 40 years.
She said Tuesday’s event would be followed by other interfaith gatherings in the community “so we can both support Temple Beth Jacob and have the wider community know that the religious community is not going to be divided by this.”
Among the speakers joining Ezray and McLain at the 20-minute rally were Redwood City Mayor Richard Claire and Councilmember and Beth Jacob congregant Ira Ruskin.
Of the rally and neighborhood canvas, Ezray said: “It felt good that we were doing something as opposed to just talking.”
Redwood City police officers have been investigating the incidents as separate hate crimes. In February, the words “Nazis ya!” and a swastika drawn backward were painted on the outside walls of the chapel. And on April 8, shortly before a Holocaust memorial service, a small swastika was found on a synagogue sign.
According to Ezray, the idea behind distributing whistles to neighbors was both practical and symbolic.
Besides reminding residents to be vigilant and to contact local police if they see any suspicious activities, the whistles also sent the message that “we want to be a community that speaks out and stands up against any act of hatred,” Ezray said.
Paired with a partner they had never met, participants rang doorbells at homes surrounding the synagogue, which is located on busy Alameda de las Pulgas.
“We got a wonderful reception from the people,” said Jon Levinson, a 38-year member of Beth Jacob and the chair of its religious practices committee.
He said one older man told them he frequently walked by the synagogue and offered “to watch out for it because it’s very disturbing to me.”
Levinson said most of the residents at the seven homes he visited had heard of the anti-Semitic acts.
“They were quite aware,” he said. “They were very receptive to getting the information.”
Tuesday’s interfaith show of support followed meetings with pastors of the local churches after each of the acts of vandalism, Ezray said.
He said “isolation and fear” stemming from the incidents are reduced “when you know there are good people standing with you.”
He said the religious leaders plan to host a discussion series this fall addressing Jewish-Christian relations and also are organizing an interfaith choir project for next spring.
This isn’t the first time that local churches have rallied behind Beth Jacob.
In 1979, after the synagogue’s sanctuary was gutted by a suspicious fire, worship services and classes were moved to First Congregational Church and Peninsula Covenant Church, recalled Levinson.
Most recently, Beth Jacob has received more than 40 donations from local church members to help pay for beefed-up security measures in the wake of this spring’s incidents.
“It was very uplifting for us to have that kind of support,” said Levinson. “It really made me feel good. So often, as Jews, we feel that people don’t understand us.”