Church Posts Letter of Support to Synagogue and School

December 2, 2016 Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief

The morning after the recent U.S. presidential election, Pastor Jacob Simpson says he woke up with a worried mind.

“All politics aside, I was concerned about all of the things going on in our country,” said Pastor Simpson, outgoing spiritual leader of Salem Lutheran Church in Federal Hill. “And then later in the day, I heard about some of the anti-Semitic and racist attacks and imagery going on, so I felt it was important to me to make sure that our tenant felt safe and valued.”

When leading worship services the following Sunday, Pastor Simpson shared his feelings with 25-30 members of his 50-member congregation. He and his flock then wrote a letter to Beth El Synagogue, which since 2014 has rented space at the church for its preschool center for downtown families, and taped it on the door where the preschool conducts its operations, addressed to the school and the Pikesville synagogue’s membership.

The concise, one-page letter, which is personally signed by the pastor and his worshipers, calls the school “a blessing” for the church and neighborhood, not only from a financial standpoint but as “a much needed vibrancy to our space.”

The letter notes that the Lutheran church has “a very poor history of anti-Semitism,” and “we are truly sorry to you and humbly repent for it.”

The letter notes the rise in anti-Semitic attacks and sentiments in the days following the presidential election. “Please accept this … as a symbol of understanding that we will speak up against any anti-Semitic acts or rhetoric in this country. … We will do all that we can to make sure that in our space, you all may feel safe and secure.”

Pastor Simpson insisted that though he was the catalyst for the letter, the congregants of Salem Lutheran Church should all receive credit.

“I wanted to provide a visual note to the people of Beth El that we’re there for them and their safety,” he said. “It was my idea, but it wasn’t a ‘Pastor Jake thing.’ Everyone in the congregation wanted to sign it. They all got on board and bonded around the letter and understood. Especially in these times we live in, you have to show people you care about them. [Beth El congregants] are really good people, and that’s all part of our faith and teachings – love they neighbor and to seek justice.”

Pastor Simpson, who came to Salem Lutheran in 2012 and is moving this month to Tuckahoe, N.Y., said he was not certain if his church in particular had a history of anti-Semitism.

“I was really talking about being part of the Lutheran tradition,” he said. “Martin Luther was a very strong anti-Semite, and you can’t ignore Luther’s legacy. We have to confront it. After all, we worship Jesus, not Luther.”

Alluding to the Holocaust and the Lutheran church’s role in the rise of the Third Reich in Germany, Pastor Simpson said, “So many were silent and didn’t take a stance. I always promised myself, after taking a class on the Holocaust in my seminary, that I wouldn’t be that type of pastor, that I would always speak up.”

Pastor Simpson said the church wants Beth El to remain at their location in Federal Hill for a long time. “We’re all in this together,” he said. “We really want Beth El to feel comfortable in this space. We know what a blessing it is to have them here.”

Beth El Executive Director Josh Bender said he and the other members of the synagogue, as well as the congregation’s board of directors, were quite touched by Salem’s letter.

“For them to take out the time and have all their parishioners sign the letter and take responsibility, it was very powerful,” said Bender, noting that the letter was read at the start of the board’s most recent meeting. “To have them respond in this way and care about the school so much, it’s really quite beautiful.”