A Natural Urge to Help

Working in the civil rights field for nearly 35 years gives one a perspective on human behavior, both the good and the bad. People are exceptionally gracious when facing adversity, thoughtful when their problems are dealt with and generous in acknowledging assistance…..or not.

Even with this blog in the Jewish Journal, my partner, Joe Hicks, and I have been the recipients of some very laudatory responses, some articulate and thoughtful adversarial postings, and some downright nasty e-mails that didn’t even get posted.

The roughest attacks we get generally relate to our “having blinders on” that prevent us from seeing the innate bigotry and hate that lies just below the surface of otherwise tolerant seeming Americans. One inveterate critic suggests that our view of an improving and more tolerant America is paving the road to another Auschwitz, “ cause it looks like the same stupid game you morons played in Germany.  We’re Germans first, Jews second, then they’ll accept us.” 

Today’s New York Times’