WATERVILLE — The voices of men, women and children from all faiths rang out in song and prayer Friday night at Beth Israel Congregation in a show of support for Jews in the wake of an incident last weekend in which a swastika was painted on a large rock at a city-owned park.

More than 200 people from across the state turned out for the interfaith service of healing on a cold night when the temperature hovered near zero.

It was warm inside the synagogue, where Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of Beth Israel said it was an honor to have so many people attend the service. Isaacs, who also is assistant professor of studies at Colby College and director of the college’s Center for Small Town Jewish Life, sought to make sense of the swastika incident, which occurred at Quarry Road Recreation Center.

She said no human being is completely good or bad and everyone struggles with that dichotomy.

“Unfortunately, in this previous week, the evil urge got the best of one of us,” she said. “We’re here today to embrace our good urge and show the best of who we are.”

Police are investigating the painting of the swastika, an emblem that was used by Nazi Germany, on the rock near the entrance to the Devil’s Chair hiking trail.

Advertisement

Police Chief Joseph Massey, who attended Friday night’s service, said earlier in the day that police continue to work on the case.

“We have not identified who left the swastika up there on the rock,” he said.

The incident, reported to police Dec. 10, led City Manager Michael Roy and Mayor Nick Isgro to post a message on the city’s online web page saying Waterville will not stand for such activity.

“In situations like this the city of Waterville stands firmly united against any form of hate and intolerance,” the post says. “From the arrival of the Franco-Canadians and the Lebanese Maronite Catholics to our proud Jewish community and beyond, Waterville has always been, remains, and will always be an open and accepting community that will not be torn asunder by individuals or groups who believe otherwise.”

As of early Friday evening, the city’s Facebook post had garnered 600 likes, 124 shares and about 40 comments.

Isaacs told the congregation Friday she feels blessed to be in Waterville, where people are caring and supportive. Earlier in the week, Isaacs was at the White House delivering the invocation at a Hanukkah reception hosted by President Obama.

Advertisement

To illustrate just how open and inclusive the Waterville community is, the 33-year-old rabbi, who two years ago was named one of America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis by the Jewish Daily Forward, told a personal story of the journey that led her to Waterville.

She said she was ordained as a rabbi five years ago and decided to be ordained in the conservative movement. She was the first openly lesbian rabbi ordained by the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary.

As she became ordained, she began to worry that she would not be able to find a job. She recalled being told to prepare herself that it was a real possibility no one would hire her, but if she did get a job it would likely be in New York or California. But those who warned her turned out to be wrong. She was embraced by not only Beth Israel, but also Colby and the Waterville community.

“Look what happened,” she said. “I ended up in Waterville, Maine. That’s not something to be taken for granted.

Waterville is special place, she said, with decent, authentic people who care about one another.

“It’s personally special to me, and I think it’s empirically special,” she said.

Advertisement

She pointed out that the synagogue’s water fountain was given to Beth Israel by the Lebanese Youth Organization in the city; the kosher meat, by Joseph’s Market, which until recently was owned and run by a Lebanese family.

“How many Jewish communities can say we are sustained by the Lebanese community in the town?” she asked. “Believe me, we are the only one.”

Hate crimes, Isaacs said, happen everywhere, but the quality of a community is assessed not by the bad things that happen there, but how the community responds to such incidents.

“This is how we respond,” she said, referring to the large gathering of support Friday.

The Rev. Thomas Blackstone of the Pleasant Street United Methodist Church offered a reading and said it was his privilege to represent his church in standing solidly with Beth Israel and anyone else who is threatened by hateful actions.

“Today we are all Jews,” Blackstone said. “A threat to any one of us is a threat to all of us.”

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.