Hilton Head event Sunday could help islanders as much as the people of Ukraine

Have you heard this one?

A rabbi walks into a beach park with a Rolling Stones cover band called White Liquor.

He gets to play a flute riff in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

It’s to help victims of a war an ocean away in Ukraine.

And it’s no joke. Rabbi Brad Bloom will do just that this Sunday at Hilton Head Island’s Lowcountry Celebration Park.

“It’s my debut as a rock ‘n’ roll guy,” said the leader of Temple Beth Yam.

The rabbi is actually getting what he wants as key organizer of a pop-up event called the HH4 Ukraine Benefit.

“We’ve learned what partnership means,” he said in the runup to the event (noon to 6 p.m.) that will feature live music, food trucks, arts and crafts, and special guests, such as three islanders from Ukraine who are to speak.

It’s free, but donations will be accepted.

“We’ve got government, business, the faith community and nonprofits working together for a cause,” Bloom said. “I’m not sure we’ve seen that here before. They’re doing it for the community, not their own group. It’s all about people giving to people, not just a cause.”

The benefit is being presented by Interfaith Community in Action and the Hilton Head Island Music & Arts Coalition.

It has been pulled together in seven weeks.

They set a goal to raise $100,000 for food, shelter and medical support for Ukrainians still at home or now refugees in neighboring countries. The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry will manage the money, which will go to Doctors Without Borders and The World Central Kitchen.

As of Tuesday, more than $70,000 was in hand, anchored by a $10,000 donation from the St. Andrew By the Sea United Methodist Church Endowment Fund.

Other churches are involved. The benefit is a first stab at what they hope will be a long-lasting interfaith effort to address other issues, which could include affordable housing, said Blaine Lotz of First Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Will Robinson of First Presbyterian said, “My hope for this event is that it will unite us as a community — through good music and food — in loving our neighbors in Ukraine by raising $100,000 (or more) of much-needed funding to help them.

“Mister Rogers’ mom taught him as a child: When bad things happen, “look for the helpers.” I hope we’ll be Ukraine’s helpers through this special event.”

Ukraine citizen Iryna Ferre of Hilton Head came to the island on vacation five years ago and met a boat captain who became her husband. She is to speak on Sunday.

“My message is that we are grateful for all the help and support of the people because it is needed,” she said.

But, she said, “This war is not just a military action. It is also an information war. Propaganda has raised a lot of hatred between nations.”

She got her mother here after Russia invaded Ukraine, but the rest of her family remains in harm’s way.

Event organizer Jack Resnick said volunteers and donations of goods and services means they will “spend 3% of proceeds, if that.”

“It means everything to me that we, as a community, can reach across the ocean to the people of Ukraine and do something against the Putin guy,” Resnick said. “It’s a real tragedy to have people displaced like that, and you can’t help but be proud of what the Ukranians are doing. I’m thrilled that we can be just one little, tiny part of that.”

Resnick and Rabbi Bloom cite help from Mayor John McCann, who is to speak, as well as the town staff, Island Recreation Association, the Hilton Head MLK Committee for Justice, the sheriff’s office and the fire department.

“Everyone brought different talents to it, and most of us didn’t even know each other,” said Resnick, a home builder.

Bloom said, “In terms of going forward, the question is when there’s a catastrophe with people don’t look like us, would we be as exuberant in reacting? That’s a real, fundamental question.”

For now, he’ll have to be content to be the rabbi who walks into a beach park with a rock band called Cornbread. He’ll get what he wants when he plays the flute in their rendition of The Marshall Tucker Band’s hit “Can’t You See.”

David Lauderdale can be reached at LauderdaleColumn@gmail.com.

This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Hilton Head event Sunday could help islanders as much as the people of Ukraine."