Religions and spirituality at their core are about finding some grace and justice in a world that can feel very cold and chaotic. Unfortunately, history shows when religion becomes political, millions of people are unnecessarily subjected to violence. After the Chesed Shel Emeth Hewish Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri was vandalized a few nights ago, Muslim activists started a fundraiser to help restore what was broken. They blew past their $20,000 goal in hours. As of right now, they stand at over $125,000. Now both Muslims and Jews stand together—holding shovels and cloth, lifting and cleaning, trying to sanctify the resting place of loved ones from long ago.
St. Louis imams and the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement condemning in strong terms the cemetery desecration, urging local Muslims to donate money toward its restoration. And a different fundraising campaign, started by two Muslim activists from Philadelphia and New York City, raised six times its original goal in its first day alone.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the St. Louis Jewish Community Relations Council, told Haaretz. “The outpouring of support throughout the world has been tremendous. Everyone feels this cuts close to home.”
The Forward reports that a multi-faith group of 2,500 people showed up to help clean and join a vigil. This unity is not just for the people affected in Missouri but for everyone, everywhere.
“We feel heartened by the support,” said the JCRC’s Picker Neiss. “This is a chance to show up. At the same time, this is not the only thing happening in our world. We want to make sure we’re paying attention to all of the people feeling victimized. And also thinking about what we need to do tomorrow.”