Supporting Civil Society Through the Work of Religious Institutions
Like the majority of voters who cast ballots last week in the Massachusetts gubernatorial election, I voted for Governor Patrick, but while I am a Democrat and have been generally supportive of the governor’s efforts when it comes to economic stimulus and healthcare in the Bay state, there was another factor which I considered when thinking about whom to vote for this November.
For me, it was his efforts to reach out to a wide variety of faith and ethnic communities in Massachusetts that put my vote firmly in the Democratic column this year, because I think that in doing so, the governor has set an example not only for the citizens of the Commonwealth, but for Americans across the country. In a year in which we have seen Koran-burnings proposed by a fringe religious figure in Florida, a highly uncivilized national discussion bordering on a shouting match over the proposed construction of an Islamic center near the site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, and no shortage of other examples of ignorance and intolerance, the governor’s efforts to reach out to Jewish and Muslim communities here in Massachusetts this summer and fall offered a refreshing shift in tone from the vitriolic screaming which seemed to have otherwise taken over the national discussion of religion and ethnicity in America.
The governor’s support for the work that various religious communities in Massachusetts are doing seems genuine to me – when, for example, he made a surprise appearance at the Massachusetts Synagogue Council annual event in August it was particularly noteworthy in my mind that he entered the room, made some remarks from the stage and then took a seat in the front row, listening to the presentations and speeches, and staying afterward to talk to individually with members of the audience. A few days later I noticed in the media that the governor had attended an event sponsored by the Boston Islamic community, and soon after that he made a point of attending a major event sponsored by the American Jewish Committee which brought together an incredibly diverse range of leaders and supporters across the spectrum of faith and ethnic communities in Boston.
I am personally hopeful that Governor Patrick will continue to help highlight the work of organizations, such as the American Jewish Committee, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and the American Islamic Congress, three organizations which have interfaith dialogue and community building as a key part of their mission and which are all very active in Boston. There is no shortage of challenges facing Massachusetts and country at present, but I think that one way the governor can address these challenges is by continuing to voice his support not only for the work that these organizations are doing on their own, but the ways in which they are creating and sustaining partnerships throughout the Commonwealth which promote understanding and tolerance, and more than that, help to sustain the democratic and vibrant civil society which forms the basic fabric of our state and country.
-Daniel E. Levenson
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
*In the interest of full disclosure it should be noted that the author of this post is a member of the AJC ACCESS Global Cicrle in Boston.
