A Message from Rabbi Neil Sandler

Susan and I are in the midst of a trip to Central Europe. Cultural life—music, dance, and art—is rich here. Over a year ago, we traveled to Spain with our cousins, Susan and Macy Hart. We had a wonderful time! So, when Macy and Susan invited us to join them for over three weeks in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, we jumped at the chance.

Each of these countries is beautiful; music, art, and dance, as I said, are all quite rich. More than seventy-five years after the Holocaust, I thought I had unconsciously reconciled myself. We will always memorialize the victims of the Holocaust, but we won't necessarily think about them every time we enter a place where they lived. I was naïve to have that thought.

My naivete and discomfort immediately struck me at our first stop, Vienna. The spoken German word has always sounded harsh to me. Sometimes, without understanding a single German word, I feel berated. The printed word can have the same effect on me. I saw the exact same sign on the bakery doors. But with all capital letters and exclamation marks, I felt like I had done something wrong. Whatever the sign said, I had misbehaved.

I can't fault you if, up to this point, you dismissed my remarks and even felt them to be a little bigoted. But something occurred at the threshold of our rental unit in Vienna that could not be easily dismissed. At many, yet not all units in the building, ornamental wash basins appeared. The basins might have had Jewish origins. Their origins may have been otherwise. But the area above our basin was unique. Unlike any other basin in the building (Susan checked), it had a swastika drawn above it. While one can explain that swastika in some number of ways, to me, the most obvious one is that someone wanted to communicate an anti–Jewish message to people who lived in the apartment or rented it.

I can't say much more. The landlord came over to make some repairs and clean off the swastika. Did I think he fully understood why we felt the swastika to be so disturbing? I don't think so. I honestly think this is the world in which we live today. Some people just don't get it.

We are a bit more than halfway into our trip. I will share some other experiences with you.

Shabbat Shalom.