The Vigil Against Hate and Antisemitism began at 2:30 p.m. with a host of guest speakers, each with a different story and sentiment to share with the crowd.
Local resident Gary Harger offered the gift of his beautiful voice, leading the vigil in his powerful acapella rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.
Mother Cheryl Smith from St. Joseph of Arimathea Catholic Church gave the opening prayer.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal drove in through heavy rain and traffic from Greenwich. He said, “Silence is complicity. Take a stand against hate.”
Father Matthew Bailey from St. Joseph of Arimathea Catholic Church said, “I’m deeply troubled by the surge of hate and antisemitism across the world.”
First Selectman Jim Zeoli said he came out against the actions of Hamas during the October selectmen’s meeting. “There is no room for hate and antisemitism in the town of Orange, in the state of Connecticut, or anywhere in the United States,” he said. “I thank you all for standing out here in all these angel’s tears — and never be afraid to say something.”
Rev. Peter Orfanakos from St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church said, “Evil is defenseless and ineffective in the presence of love.”
Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus from Congregation Or Shalom intertwined the words of a children’s Hanukkah song to get his message across. “In the darkest time of year, light will come, we have no fear,” he sang. “We are living through a dark time. We’ve gathered because we refuse to be paralyzed by the darkness.”
Gayle Slossberg, CEO of the Jewish Federation of New Haven recalled all of the good times she shared with Orange residents over the years, then said, “Never in my life did I think I’d have to be here to talk about antisemitism. The Jewish community has been in pain since October 7 … [some say quietly] This feels like 1930s Germany.”
Slossberg added, “In 1930s Germany too many people stood by and said, ‘not my problem’ and there was silence.” She became emotional, nearly moved to tears as she implored, “We need to call out hate wherever it is, and we need to stand up and speak out because hate against one, is hate against all. Hateful acts to property lead to hateful acts to people.”
Rabbi Michael Farbman from Temple Emanuel shared a poignant story of a Holocaust survivor and that person’s experience of one night of Hanukkah in a concentration camp. While everyone pondered that thought, the Rabbi said, “Hope is not optimism, hope is an aspiration. Showing up on a rainy, cold, afternoon like this is perhaps the last thing that any one of us would have wanted to do [today]. But showing up and standing here with our friends and our neighbors in a time of pain, acknowledging it and saying ‘we have to do better’ fills me with hope.”
State Senator James Maroney, and State Representatives Mary Welander and Kathy Kennedy did not speak but proudly stood in solidarity.
Gary Harger closed the vigil with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” beginning with the often-forgotten opening verse penned in 1918:
“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.”
OGAT posted this video of the event, so, if you missed it, you can still benefit from the shared messages.
