Eileh Ezk’rah
אלה אזכרה | Eileh Ezk’rah | These I Remember
On Rosh HaShanah, we listened to Billie Holiday’s haunting Strange Fruit. Here, 61 years later, Jill Scott sings the same painfully relevant song. As you listen, reflect on the new forms lynchings have taken and how people of color are still murdered with impugnity.
Think of Emmett Till, who would only be 79 today. Think of Trayvon Martin, who would only be 25. Think of the generational trauma that has been “inherited” over 400 years “for” African Americans and how that trauma is reinforced. Think of what we can do as a society to break this chain.
“How do songs sung across generations gain power? What makes them potent? Name a song of similar influence in your life.”
Looking backward, we recall our ancestry.
Looking forward we confront our destiny.
Looking backward we reflect on our origins.
Looking forward, we choose our path.
Remember that we are a tree of life, not letting go,
holding on, and holding to, we walk into an unknown,
beckoning future, with our past beside us.
-Harold Schulweis
“This year, how do you want to rewrite your story? How do you want our country to rewrite its story?”
“H.E.R. sings “If we all agree that we’re equal as people, Then why can’t we see what is evil?” What enables us to ignore the plight of others? How can we overcome a hardened heart?”
