At sundown Dec. 5, 18 Bay Area Jews will put down their hammers and kindle the first lights of Chanukah in Greensboro, Ala.
As they celebrate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, they will likely reflect on their own efforts to rebuild the Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in Greensboro.
The parallels are evident, said Felice Sheramy, associate director of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council.
The Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church is one of 50 African-American churches in the South burned by arsonists during the past year. The 8,900-square-foot building was destroyed in June.
In hopes of bridging the gap between blacks and Jews and lending palpable rather than symbolic or financial support to the afflicted communities, a group of Bay Area Jews will pick up hammers and paintbrushes to join the national rebuilding effort.
Staffed by Sheramy and Abbie Wolf, associate director of the Central Pacific Region office of the Anti-Defamation League, the contingency represents a number of Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Congregations Kol Shofar in Tiburon and Beth Sholom and Emanu-El in San Francisco.
For one week, from Nov. 30 through Dec. 8, the group will reconstruct the church’s roof. Habitat for Humanity and the Washington Quaker Workcamps will oversee their work, as well as the rebuilding by volunteers of other churches throughout the South.
Each morning the volunteers will rise at 6:30 a.m., fighting for bathroom time and space in a trailer that houses 20. Breakfast is at 7 a.m.; a morning minyan follows.
Workers will join with local residents and church members to paint, shingle, apply Sheetrock and cook meals.
“I’m no carpenter. The closest I’ve come to roofing is acting in `Fiddler on the Roof’ in elementary school,” said Gadi Meir, a volunteer from San Francisco, representing the AJCongress.
“But I want to make a contribution. It may be symbolic, but it demonstrates that little contingents like ours can make a difference and stand up against intolerance and hatred.”
Like many of the volunteers, Meir, a senior financial consultant for Wells Fargo Bank, is using vacation time to make the trip.
“When the news of the church burnings hit some months ago, a bunch of us sat around and wondered what we could do. We thought we’d make a statement,” he said. “And then we wondered, why don’t we do something?
“At some point you have to get past making a statement and get your hands dirty and stand up for what you believe in.”
Rick Jaeger, president of the local chapter of the AJCommittee, agreed. He added that rebuilding the churches not only provides tangible support while sending a message of intolerance for intolerance, but also helps create bonds between communities.
“A lot of what [AJCommittee does] is about building bridges with other ethnic and religious groups. This is an opportunity to reach out to the African American community and build one-on-one relationships,” Jaeger said.
“It’s another chance to work together, not unlike during the civil rights movement.”
In addition to hammering and sawing and painting, the Bay Area volunteers will hold a Chanukah party for Greensboro-area residents. They will also travel to Birmingham for a Shabbat and Chanukah celebration with the local JCRC and three area synagogues.
Other organizations are joining the good-faith efforts. USAir offered discounted ticket prices to the volunteers. The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s Jewish Community Endowment Fund, Feldman Foundation and Joseph and Sophie Meyer Fund are underwriting the bulk of the costs.
“It’s a real cultural exchange,” Sheramy said. “The volunteers wanted Greensboro residents to know the Jewish community is supportive — that we stand behind them with thoughts as well as actions.”
Wolf added, “We’re not only demonstrating that we’re with them. But this is an opportunity for the Jewish community to experience this together. It’s bonding for our community too.”