Quick to judge,
Quick to anger,
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand… ~Rush
As reported in the Bridgeport Post this morning, Fairfield Center was host to a joyous Menorah lighting on the third day of Chanukah. Chabad of Fairfield, led by Rabbi Shlame Landa, celebrated the Jewish tradition of the Festival of Lights, in the way their forefathers have for thousands of years. However, they were joined by three masked individuals who chose to display symbols of hatred and evil.
While this is a reminder that prejudice is still alive and well in this country, it shouldn’t represent to anybody that Fairfield has become a modern day Salem, or even returned to it’s own inglorious past. Quite the opposite in fact. Fairfield has never been more open to diverse religious beliefs than it is today. From Easter sunrise services on the towns beaches to the annual Holocaust Memorial Ceremony to learning about Ramadan in grade school, Fairfield has become a town that embraces people of all faiths.
I pity those who have been raised in fear. Those who were taught to be ignorant and intolerant. They live with an evil inside their souls they don’t understand or contemplate. Their world is filled with walls to hide behind, masks to cloak their identity and lies to comfort their closed minds. But, to hate them is to feed their loathing.
Words to live by…
If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us. ~Herman Hesse
What do you think?
Bravo, Ed!
Like you, I pity those who have been raised in fear– in fear of anyone different from them and in fear of anything they are too ignorant to grasp.
And you are entirely correct about Fairfield. Our not-so-little town is an incredibly warm community, full of persons whose hearts and souls are open not only to embracing the cherished American ideal of and right to freedom of worship, but also to celebrating the diversity of beliefs held by our neighbors.
May that tradition continue through this holiday season and always.
David Cullen
Member, Representative Town Meeting
District 7
Dave and Ed,
Very well said. Fairfield is a warm community that accepts and celebrates ALL faiths. I hope those three were dealt with by Fairfield’s Finest.
Tim Lynch
Member, Representative Town Meeting
District 7
I was very upset and angry to read the story on the front page of the Post this morning, not a good way to start a Monday, but as a lifelong Fairfielder, this sort of thing has never happened in ‘modern times’! Unfortunately in these uncertain times, anti-semitism is on the rise, and we all must be aware of that. EDUCATION IS KEY to learning about different religions/cultures, and I am very appreciative that Fairfield does a wonderful job in the “department of diversity” as you mentioned in your blog post.
Remember that GOODNESS AND LIGHT will triumph over darkness and evil/hate, and not just at holiday time, but throughout the year.
Amen to that, Jen!
Disgusting, infuriating…and all the more so for the fact that these cowards hide their identities.
I think it’s very, very sad. My guess is that the masked individuals would call themselves Christian. Well, this certainly is not Christian behavior and maybe if they stopped to think about that for one second perhaps they wouldn’t have done the things they did. I can appreciate your view of Fairfleld being a town that is filled with people whose hearts are open and welcoming to all diverse beliefs. However, Dave, it is with a heavy heart that I disagree. I have witnessed with my own eyes, more than once this Holiday Season, blatant bigotry and disregard for human beings based on the color of their skin and religious beliefs. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is still being passed on to the children of our community and they are acting out in the same shallow, ignorant ways their parents do. I could only hope that the peace and love that is supposed to engross us, especially during the holidays, finds a small crack in those walls these people have built and true compassion and love for your fellow man prevails.
Sorry for the sloppy editing of my post. Here it is again. Please ignore the previous version.
Thanks, Ed, for an insightful reflection on this incident.
If the three masked intruders were “dealt with” by Fairfield’s finest, as Tim wishes, I do hope that it was with love and compassion. Hate, even when directed against hate, just breeds more hate.
Not sure that I agree with Jennifer that ‘education is the answer’. Fear and other deep emotions are not rational and do not respond in any direct way to ‘teaching’. Better that the community be a model of inter-cultural love and respect, with many opportunities for positive inter-action. INclude all who seek a positive experience.
In that way the haters are eventually shunned and marginalized. “There’s more freedom on the tracks,” as they told Tootle the Engine
I would add that in praising Fairfield as filled with people of goodwill (paraphrasing myself here!) I was myself being as positive as I could during this season of hope and renewal fro Christians and Jews alike as well as for many persons of goodwill who practice other faiths or practice none for that matter.
But, yes, it is true that– like everywhere else– Fairfield is also home to ignoramuses, bigots, racists and worse.
Interesting to me is that while, as reported in the Post, people on the scene Sunday night — passersby– got involved to their everlasting credit by shouting at the faux nazis and/or joining in with the Menorah-lighters to show solidarity.
On the other hand, I have been disappointed by the lack of commentary on the “flag bearers” that has appeared not only here, but on facebook. I guess it is early still and I react fast to most things, so I may be premature in that assessment of my fellow citizens.
So sad that this is what put Fairfield in the news. I’m thoroughly disgusted. Shameful. Pigs.
Happy ALL holidays!
@Anat, I often feel the same way when the police bust 100 Fairfield University students for underage drinking at a local restaurant, or a local lawyer storms into a neighbor’s house and murders an innocent man (both made national news). However, like David said, there is a silver lining to this hate story. Local people got involved and either joined the Menorah lighting ceremony or told the haters where to go. Those are the real Fairfielders if you ask me.
@David re: the lack of commentary. As far as I can tell, and I am probably wrong, but the only local mainstream media to pick this up was the ConnPost and News12. Both great outlets in my opinion, but neither has a large following. My guess is once this hits our local weeklies there will be comments the following week in the letters to the editor. The news will be nearly two weeks old at that point. One reason I started this site! Immediate commentary. No “Letters to the Editor” here, that is so last century.
As a Jew living in Fairfield, I was shocked by this blatant act and to hear that charges will not be pressed against these people. What if it was your children who were exposed to this blatant hatred and abuse? Will we ever know who they are or will the police and town leaders keep it quiet and hope it goes away? When you have cancer you do not keep it quiet and hope it goes away, you treat it aggressively and fight it. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” So dear neighbors, if you consider yourself good, then do something. Write to Ken Flatto and the Police Chief and the local papers as I have and tell them that Fairfield will not stand for masked mauraders with nazi flags stealing into our town in the dark of night. In 1933 the German people stayed quiet and thought, “Oh we’re good and decent people, the Nazi’s will simply go away”. Do not think that Nazism, racism, religious intolerance does not exist in this fair town or our great nation. First they come for the Jews, then it will be gays, blacks, hispanic, handicapped, catholics…speak up!!!
They are such COWARDS!! Show your faces , since you are so proud of what you are!!!!
I agree with Steven’s post above…..to take a stand against intolerance and prejudice, we cannot keep quiet! He is right about the German citizens back in the 1930s as a certain “Fuhrer” was rising to power….there were many, many who kept quiet out of fear. Thank god we live in a country where one of our rights is freedom of speech….and also freedom of expression. Sadly, those two rights also apply those masked cowards.
As to Stephanie’s post above, unfortunately bigotry still exists, especially around Fairfield County. Again, as a lifelong resident, I know that the largest city in CT, Bridgeport, is right next door, and the Park City is as diverse as one can get. However, I can recall hearing some former classmates of mine (thru middle school and high school here) talking crap about “oh Bridgeport this….” Also, there’s still of a “class” system that exists in town, but I believe over the years that’s changed due to the economy, etc. Of course, that’s another topic for another day….just ask me about it.