Newark Mayor Cory Booker, second from left, is joined by Vanguard hosts Lisa Kaplan and Scott Siegel, right, and federation campaign chair Sandy Lenger.
Photo by Debra Rubin
August 26, 2008
Problems confronting our cities, the Jewish community, and the world can be solved by joining forces with others.
That was the message delivered by Cory Booker — the African-American mayor of Newark known for his close ties to the Jewish community — at the Middlesex federation’s Aug. 13 Vanguard event.
The Vanguard, for those who have given $5,000 or more to the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County’s annual campaign, brought in $1.16 million. The kick-off event for the fund-raising year was held at the Milltown home of Lisa Kaplan and Scott Siegel.
The federation’s fiscal year ended June 30 with a campaign that took in more than $3.4 million, including endowments, grants, corporate sponsorships, and contributions.
Booker is a former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. While there he became involved with — and rose to become president of — the L’Chaim Society run by author and Orthodox Rabbi Shmuely Boteach.
‘Jews united with other people are invincible.’
In introducing Booker, federation assistant treasurer Michael Baker said when he was looking for a speaker for the event, he immediately thought of the mayor and his message of passionate change and uniting people.
“Here we have a leader of a community we have rarely seen in this generation,” Baker said.
“As a non-Jew, an African-American, as mayor of Newark, and in my own personal life, I know the contributions of the Jewish community are legendary,” said Booker.
The mayor said his ongoing study of Judaism and other religions has not only strengthened the values instilled in him by his parents, but has taught him that such ethics as caring for those less fortunate are universal.
“That is what federation is all about,” said Booker. “They have the same ambitions as I have for my community, my city, and my country.”
He used the Aug. 10 holiday of Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem, “as a metaphor” for current events.
Booker said that rather than dwell on the terrible things that have befallen the Jewish people on the ninth of Av throughout history, he preferred to concentrate on an event that preceded by years the final siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE.
When a frustrated Roman emperor Titus failed to take the city after years of fighting, he was given sage advice by the Jewish historian and traitor Josephus: Leave the city alone.
“Without an outside conflict to unite them, the city weakened from within from internal conflicts and was conquered,” said Booker. “The Jewish people know, and we know, what can go on when we have internal conflicts and fighting in our cities and communities. No one can conquer the Jewish people when they are united. The Jewish people must stay strong and organized.”
Booker said it “chilled” him to hear of the threats facing Israel and those encountered by Jews and others around the world. But, by banding together, Jews and others can help to rectify these wrongs.
“Jews together are strong,” he said. “Jews united with other people are invincible.”
‘Precious goals’
Booker described the great 12th-century Jewish sage Maimonides as having “probably the first great pluralistic philosophy.” He said that federation, through its dedication to helping and standing up for Jews and others, embodies much the same philosophy.
“We all need each other,” he said. “Shmuely and I used to spend hours talking about this.”
When he discusses Newark’s future, said Booker, who was elected mayor in 2006, he feels much like Joshua and Caleb, the only two of the 12 spies sent by Moses to scout out Israel who came back with favorable reports.
“They saw the possibilities; they didn’t look with eyes of fear,” said Booker. He himself is buoyed by the idealism and optimism of the younger generation of Americans who look at issues like poverty and war and feel they can bring about genuine change.
“Like Joshua and Caleb they do not spend their nights crying,” he said, but purposely work in concert to make Newark, New Jersey, and America a better place for all citizens.
“We as Americans have so much capacity to take back our streets,” said Booker, who has patrolled the crime-ridden streets of Newark, stepped up law enforcement, and instituted programs that have caused the city’s murder rate to plummet.
“Like Joshua and Caleb, if we all see the potential and come together, we can all work together to reach precious goals. Together, as Joshua and Caleb did, we can say we’ve seen the Promised Land and we will climb down together.”
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