Faith in Action | Community event on Hilton Head to raise money for people of Ukraine

One story in the Torah that has always haunted me is the episode in Leviticus chapter 10:1-3 where the two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Abihu, were caught offering a sacrifice contrary to the instructions of God. Suddenly God sends a fire that consumes them and they perish. Then the Torah says: “Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Adonai (The Lord) meant when God said: Through those near to Me I show Myself holy and gain glory before all the people.”

And Aaron was silent.

It is the last phrase that I cannot grasp in my soul. One medieval commentator wrote, “Aaron was silent because Aaron’s heart turned to lifeless stone. He did not weep and mourn like a bereaved father, nor did he accept Moses’ attempts to console him, for his soul had left him and he was speechless.”

Aaron’s silence is what haunts me. He is beyond tears and anger and all the rest of the spectrum of human emotions at that moment.

We are used to silence as a means of reflection and meditation. Silence is a healing experience. Silence is a retreat into ourselves to behold a deeper truth about ourselves and God. For me, silence is the beginning of the poetic moment. Silence is a pathway to God.

Aaron’s silence is one formed from rage and shock.Yet, there is a another kind of silence that is destructive. There is a silence when we see gross injustice and destruction and we remain silent that sends a completely different message. That kind of silence means acquiescence and approval to something evil and unjust. Silence as a form of assent to a war, for example, like what we are seeing Russia and Putin conduct in Ukraine. That kind of silence is a profane and godless action itself.

For this reason, I have story to tell you that defies that kind of immoral and sacrilegious silence. This story is about those in Hilton Head who say, “We will not be silent to the unprovoked and despicable conduct which we witness every day in the media in Russia’s war against the people of Ukraine.” These citizens of Hilton Head say “Enough!”

A consortium of communal leaders from the business community, nonprofits and the interfaith communities have joined together and in a few short weeks have put together a plan to raise funds with the guidance and support of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and the town of Hilton Head to present an event that says, ‘We will not be silent to the bloodshed.’

At noon on May 22 at Celebration Park, the community is invited to a concert ranging from classical music from the Symphony Orchestra to Hilton Head’s favorite rock ‘n’ roll bands. The concert will be free and the hope is that we shall succeed in raising funds through individual donations and sponsorships from the business community for two charities. For medical supplies the proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders. For food supplies to refugees and those still inside Ukraine, the proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen founded by chef Jose Andres.

When we think about what makes Hilton Head special we tend to answer, ‘Nice people and great beaches and golf.’ All that is true but do we forget that what makes us a faith in action community is that we can put aside all that divides us and unify under the banner of “L’chayim To Life: To save a soul is to save the world.”

That is exactly what this event will do, which is to save the lives of Ukrainian people. This concert and the fundraising and sponsorships that I hope individuals and businesses will support is our community’s way of making a difference. So many people have said to me, ‘How can I help? I feel helpless. What can I do?’

Our refusal to remain silent in the face of indiscriminate and cruel bombing, executions and kidnapping populations of non-combatants back to Russia requires us to say, ‘No more.’ It should ring a bell throughout the land that we learned a lesson from World War II when the world was silent as the Nazis and their collaborators committed genocide against the Jewish people and many others in Europe.

Yes, the world was silent. Now we have a chance to learn and prove to ourselves let alone to God that we are different. Hilton Head is different and it is something I am appealing to everyone to give what we can to this worthy event. Go to HH4Ukraine.com and you will find a link taking you directly into the Community Foundation website where you can make your donation. It is so easy to do. Just click and save a life.

I am directly involved in this group and I wish you could see how these leaders who did not know each other before this effort have risen to the high ground and done what appeared to be the impossible in a few short weeks. These are some of Hilton Head’s finest citizens. You, too, can join them in this noble effort.

If we can all join together and take great pride in the PGA Heritage golf tournament as a flagship event in our community, can we add one more event to show the world who we are and how we care, and that we are willing to share our resources with those most in need at this hour? Is this not doing God’s work?

Join us on May 22 and enjoy the music, the community and the feeling of saying, “I made a difference and I helped save lives.”

Rabbi Brad L. Bloom serves Congregation Beth Yam. He attended the University of Wisconsin and lives on Hilton Head Island.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Faith in Action | Community event on Hilton Head to raise money for people of Ukraine."