Photo by Aaron Bandler Two Bay Area Christian leaders denounced antisemitism while speaking during public comment at the Walnut Creek City Council meeting on Tuesday April 2.
During public comment at the Walnut Creek city council meetings on Feb. 20 and March 5, white supremacists promulgated antisemitic rhetoric––especially directing their hate toward City Councilmember Kevin Wilk, who is Jewish––and criticized the city council for turning off public comment via Zoom or phone.
Rev. Joe Easley, a retired pastor and a congregant at the Lafayette Methodist Church, said he was speaking there on behalf of the church’s pastor, who could not attend the meeting that night. “I felt called to stand against all of the things that caused one group of people to consider another group not worthy of respect, whether it is because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or political party,” Easley said, adding that “my faith calls me to honor the dignity of every person and recognize each as a child of God” and that “my study and worship with people of other faiths has led me to respect other traditions and enrich my life by seeing both the uniqueness of each faith and the values and practices we share.”
He declared: “I join a variety of faiths here tonight to stand against hatred of any person or the demonization of any religion. This interfaith group tonight says antisemitism has no place in our community, nor does any other form of religious prejudice.”
Following Easley was Rev. Peter Whitelock from the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, who proclaimed: “I stand tonight in response to expressions of antisemitism which have been voiced here and elsewhere in our community. In some instances, these statements have come from individuals identifying themselves as Christian. We believe this to be a gross misrepresentation of the Christian message and a betrayal of Christian virtues, [the chief] of which is love.”
Whitelock added that the church “rejects antisemitism in all of its forms and deplores the rise of antisemitism in our nation and the world today. Incidents of antisemitism cannot be normalized or justified. We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters in putting aside fear to stand against this plague and resist the negative stereotyping being promoted against Jewish people.”
Whitelock told the Journal, “Sadly, within the Christian tradition and other religious traditions and other folks who embrace no religious tradition at all, antisemitism can rear its head. It is, we believe, a corruption of the Christian message, but it is present and it’s something that we need to stand and speak against when it’s presented.” He added that “it was an honor for us to be part of this interfaith gathering and we’re very encouraged by the showing of the Jewish community and the invitation for us to share our thoughts.”
Prior to the city council meeting, Rabbi Jill Perlman from Temple Isaiah of Contra Costa County partnered with two other local synagogues in the area as well as local interfaith leaders to bring the community to the meeting to show strength in response to hate.
“Someone has come here repeatedly to preach hate, and we came here tonight to preach love and to bring that love into our heart,” Perlman told the Journal during a break in the city council meeting, adding that “I think folks heard that and they accepted that and that’s the kind of message that we want to not just broadcast, but live out in everyday life.” She contended that “a good majority chunk of the folks” there were part of the interfaith community there to stand against hate.
In the same way the Jewish community will stand up for other marginalized communities or another community that needs their support, it is so heartening and wonderful and needed when the community comes to stand by the Jewish community … It was beautiful to see.” -Rabbi Jill Perlman
Perlman called Easley and Whitelock’s support for the community “absolutely crucial.” “In the same way the Jewish community will stand up for other marginalized communities or another community that needs their support, it is so heartening and wonderful and needed when the community comes to stand by the Jewish community,” she said. “It was beautiful to see.”
Community member Jeff Elfont told the Journal that the support from Easley and Whitelock was “wonderful.” “Members of those groups tend to think of themselves as very faithful, and they’re not really following the true faith as most believers would have it, so it’s nice that they would have a little rebuke as well,” he opined.
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