A LETTER FROM RABBI KARP,

 TEMPLE EMANUEL,

REGARDING BETTENDORF HIGH SCHOOL FINALS AND YOM KIPPUR

 

Dear Mr. Casas,

 

I was deeply disappointed to learn that Bettendorf High School has scheduled finals, and the review sessions leading up to finals, on Yom Kippur, the most sacred holy day for the Jewish people (other than the Sabbath).  I would have hoped to see more of a sensitivity to religious diversity in the school district that educates the majority of Jewish children in the Quad Cities.

 

I find it hard to believe that this was a simple oversight.  There are very few calendars published in the United States that do not include an entry for Yom Kippur.  Therefore, I can only assume that when this school calendar was set, Yom Kippur was noted and disregarded.

 

Just in case you are unaware, let me briefly explain Yom Kippur to you.  Yom Kippur, as with all Jewish holy days, goes from sundown to sundown.  This year, it begins at sundown on October 12 and ends at sundown on October 13.  It is our most solemn of days.  It is, as its name translates, the Day of Atonement. 

This is the day we stand before God, seeking not only forgiveness for our sins but also God's help and guidance in our efforts to repair the wrongs we have committed against others and mend our ways so as not to perpetrate such wrongs again.  In the Jewish tradition, God can only forgive the sins we commit against God.  God cannot forgive the sins we commit against others until we have earned the forgiveness of those we have injured.  It is a day of total fasting - no food, no drink for some 25 hours.  It is a day on which we immerse ourselves in prayer.  We start with services in the evening (10/12) and then pick them up the next morning (10/13), basically going through the entire day in worship.  Even as we seek God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of others, we try to open our hearts so that we can wholeheartedly grant forgiveness to those who have sinned against us.  Yom Kippur is a powerful spiritual experience.

 

I am a member of the board of an organization in our community called the Quad Cities Anti-Hate Coalition.  We are constantly striving to promote a community environment in which all people regardless of their differences - whether they be differences of race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical or behavioral ability or disability, to name but a few - are respected and are permitted to live in dignity and unmolested.  We vigorously oppose those who by ideology or by deed promote discrimination against any segment of their fellow Quad Citians.  I would hope that you would endorse the principles of our organization, and in doing so, be sensitive to the various diversities in your school, including religious diversity.

 

I know that at this stage, time is short.  However, I just learned of this issue.  Still, I call upon you to reset your school's schedule so as to demonstrate respect for your Jewish students.  I realize that this will be difficult and inconvenient, but your school is supposed to be a institution of learning.  What better lesson can you teach your students and your staff than to respect each other - not in spite of their differences, but because of them.

 

Before you tell me that rescheduling is impossible, consider this.  What would you do if there was a freak blizzard or, God forbid, some sort of natural or humanly made tragedy which required that the school be closed?  You would do it then.  Do it now, when you have the opportunity to do it for positive reasons rather than negative ones.

 

I look forward to hearing from you soon.  If I do not respond immediately, that would be because tonight starts Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rabbi Henry Jay Karp