By Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
founder of the Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project
Darchei shalom are the pathways to peace, from the words derech, road, and shalom, peace. We learn about darchei shalom in the Mishnah in Gittin (5:8; daf 61a). We are directed to act so as to avoid friction with non-Jews. The Mishnah teaches us to allow the non-Jewish poor to gather leket (the gleanings of our fields during harvest) together with the Jewish poor, mipneidarcheishalom. The Talmud delineates: “We feed the non-Jewish poor together with the Jewish poor, visit their sick together with Jewish sick people . . . because of the ways of peace.”
Rabbi David Zvi Hoffman, zt’l (1843—1921), author of Melamed Leho’il, maintains that mipneidarcheishalom directs the promotion of peace in the world as a positive ideal. He draws support from Maimonides, who relates mipneidarcheishalom to the verse “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and her paths are paths of peace” (Mishlei 3:17).
Currently, with the threat of ISIS and the upsurge of anti-Semitism all over the world, we must reach out in the most positive fashions possible. We must build bridges on foundations of darcheishalom. Not only are such efforts in conformity with halachah, but they will also generate much universally needed affirmative recognition.
In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month. The announcement was the culmination of an effort urging the president to proclaim a month that would recognize the more-than-350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. The resolutions passed unanimously, first in the House of Representatives in December 2005 and later in the Senate in February 2006.
The month of May was chosen due to a highly successful celebration in May 2004 organized by the Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History.
Leading the way in implementing the annual celebration is the Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition, formed in March 2007 and convened by United Jewish Communities, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, and the American Jewish Historical Society. In recent years, special events recognizing outstanding Jewish Americans have been held on Capitol Hill. This year was no different, and on May 20, the U.S. Congress celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month 2015 by honoring Jewish Americans who have greatly enriched the fabric of American life. Each year, Congress honors individuals who represent different historical milestones and whose personas are reflective of the current legislative agenda. Their contributions, through their respective missions, help Congress serve all the people of the United States.
On Wednesday, May 20–the 30th anniversary of the state of Israel’s release of 1,100 Arab prisoners in exchange for three Israeli soldiers (a ratio of 367 to 1)–Congress celebrated Jewish Heritage Month in Washington DC. The event was held in the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building. Many prominent senators and members of Congress participated, including Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Joseph P. Kennedy III of Massachusetts, John Lewis of Georgia, Eliot Engel of New York, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, served as master of ceremonies. The celebration honored Mark Meyer Appel, who founded the Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project, a unity center that addresses issues across cultural lines and advocates for transformational social change in New York’s diverse communities. Since its founding, the Bridge Project has expanded to other states. The unique project addresses serious social issues today. This strong coalition of constituencies and joint task forces unites people of every racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious background.
Mark Appel’s founding of the Bridge Project is an implementation of the principles of darcheishalom that has guided him in his service as the chairman of the CHAPS organization, which provides essential services to the developmentally delayed population. In addition, Appel has served under the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations as a trustee of the New York City Health and Hospital System, as well as director of Voice of Justice for Families and Children.
Congressman Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts presented Mark Meyer Appel with the Freedom Award. Participating in the presentation was Congressman John Lewis, who was part of the “Bloody Sunday” march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of the conflict in 1965, where armed policemen mercilessly attacked peaceful civil-rights demonstrators with billy clubs, tear gas, water jets, and dogs. The marchers were attempting to march to the Alabama state capital of Montgomery. The bridge was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2013.
The Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project continues that march for civil rights. The audience was riveted as Mr. Appel praised Congressman Lewis for his heroism on that day at the bridge in Selma. The work that began on that bridge continues today. Mark Appel proclaimed that we are still crossing that bridge, we have paid our tolls, and we will continue until together we achieve success for that which Congressman Lewis risked his life. “We are all children of one G‑d,” Mark Appel exclaimed. “We have learned that we must unite together as one in pursuit of equal justice for all. This is how we all can achieve the American dream.”
Also honored for their contributions in making America great were Chief Rabbi Itzhak Yehoshua, president of the Bukharian Rabbinical Council of America; Judith Alter Kallman, Holocaust survivor and author; Ruth Hyman, founder of Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem; Bob and Michelle Diener, noted Florida educators and entrepreneurs; and Gary M. and Pennie Abramson, noted real-estate developers. The significant celebration also had the participation of Greg Rosenbaum and Stanley Treitel, chairmen of the Jewish American Heritage Month celebration. v
Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum is the rav of B’nai Israel of Linden Heights in Boro Park and director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America. He can be contacted at yeshiva613@aol.com.
