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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/17800/full/17800/gestures-of-support-lift-spirits-after-fire-at-beth-jacob/ <br /><br /> <b>Gestures of support lift spirits after fire at Beth Jacob</b> <br /> Friday, May 17, 2002 | by <p>DEBBIE COHEN </p> <br /><br /><p>The kids at Oakland's Gan Mah Tov Preschool got a powerful, real-life lesson last week about the difference between good guys and bad guys.<br /><br /> They learned the hard way—following a suspicious, late-night fire at Beth Jacob Congregation, the modern Orthodox synagogue that runs the preschool—that there are bad guys out there—people who think nothing of attempting to burn down an entire synagogue, even a courtyard filled with children's playthings.<br /><br /> But they also learned all about good guys.<br /><br /> Many local good guys were brought sharply into focus as a result of the fire, which left minimal structural damage to the building but burned some of the children's toys, including several tricycles and a Tonka truck that had been sitting outside.<br /><br /> First there was the next-door neighbor who noticed and reported the fire. Then came the firefighters who put it out, and, close behind, the police searching for clues to find the suspects.<br /><br /> Perhaps what impacted the children the most, however, was a huge red bucket of multicolored balls donated to their school by a group of eighth-graders from a Christian school down the street.<br /><br /> For the last few months, students in the eighth-grade literature class at Zion Lutheran School had been studying the Holocaust and were horrified to learn of the average German citizen's unwillingness to speak out against it. So when they heard about the fire, the students decided they were not about to let history repeat itself.<br /><br /> Instead, in a show of solidarity, the class of 17 pooled money and bought a big bucket of balls to donate to the preschool to help replace the toys that were destroyed. On one of the balls they signed all of their names.<br /><br /> "We were surprised and pleased that another school would think of us and respond like this," said Susan Perero, a teacher at Gan Mah Tov. She was especially touched that the eighth-graders gave up their free time to deliver the balls during after-school hours. "It wasn't like it was an organized field trip. It was something they really wanted to do."<br /><br /> Cindy Andresen, who teaches the literature class at Zion Lutheran School, said her students felt compelled to act. "My students felt it was wrong to do nothing. While we couldn't change what happened, we believed it was our responsibility to affirm and show our support."<br /><br /> Andresen, who has taught for 15 years at the private school for grades kindergarten to eight, spoke fondly of her school's ties to its neighbor, Beth Jacob. That relationship began about five years ago when Beth Jacob congregant Ernie Hollander, a Holocaust survivor and frequent volunteer speaker at public schools throughout the Bay Area, started lecturing Zion students about the Holocaust.<br /><br /> "His primary message was that, by speaking out, just one person can make a difference. That really hit home with our students, who are largely African-American and know how harmful prejudice can be," she said.<br /><br /> For many years Hollander didn't talk about his Holocaust experiences. But, after a rash of hate crimes nearly a decade ago—including the discovery of a painted swastika on the outside wall of Beth Jacob—he knew he had to speak out. Since then he has appeared on television and spoken to hundreds of schools about the Holocaust.<br /><br /> Beth Jacob, a fixture in Oakland for more than a century, has received a strong show of support from various religious, community and political leaders throughout the community. And there have been offers from neighbors to help in repairing the synagogue, as well as monetary donations from a number of local churches.<br /><br /> As a result, Jeff Shachat, the congregation president, sees "some light in this darkness."<br /><br /> Beth Jacob Rabbi Judah Dardik spoke warmly of the many supportive letters and e-mails sent to the congregation. The donation by Zion Lutheran students touched him deeply, he said, as did the woman who walked in out of the blue and told him how upset she was over what had happened. "Then she handed us a $500 check."<br /><br /> Most recently, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms—federally mandated to investigate suspicious fires at houses of worship—announced it was contributing $5,000 to a reward fund already established by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL had started the fund with $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fire.<br /><br /> To express appreciation for the community's help and to further cement the close ties with its neighbors, Dardik is organizing a community solidarity event at the synagogue on Sunday, May 26. The program, still in the works, will gather local synagogues, churches and prominent community members in a unified stand against violence and hate crimes.</p> <p> </p>

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