NORWICH – People of all faiths came together in prayer Friday to show their support for the local Jewish community, still reeling after its synagogue was violated last week by vandals.
Around 180 attended the emotional Interfaith Prayer Service at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Norwich. Some in the pews were weeping as the group held hands, sang Jewish and Christian prayers and hymns, and denounced the work of the “bad guys,” as one little girl referred to them, who defiled the Jewish house of worship.
“This is an event that has been catalyzed by a horrible happening,” said Rabbi Dawn Rose, spiritual leader of the Norwich Jewish Center, “and yet my heart is glad. Because I look out and see all of you, and you are making a statement: What happened at our synagogue will not stand.”
Sometime between last Saturday and Wednesday, the three-story Jewish Center on South Broad Street was forcibly entered and ransacked. Sacred items, decorative windows, furniture, light fixtures, and dishes were smashed. An anti-Semitic message was left behind in graffiti. The damage is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
“I saw what happened on the news before I went to bed, I just broke down in tears,” said Deborah Durler of Norwich, an Episcopalian. “I think the Jewish people have been through enough. They don’t deserve this ... It’s heartbreaking.”
Following a three-agency investigation led by the City of Norwich Police Department, three Norwich youths between the ages of 13 and 14 have been arrested and charged with felony 3rd degree burglary and 2nd degree criminal mischief in relation to the crime.
“This is an event we wish we weren’t having to have,” Emmanuel Episcopal Church Reverend Glen G. Mahaffey told those gathered Friday. “When a house of faith is victimized like that, it affects us all. We want to let the Jewish community know you’re not alone.”
Representatives from a number of different faiths – including Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Jews, Lutherans, Methodists, Mormons and Unitarians – attended the service. Several, some from as far away as Binghamton, stood up and voiced their support for the congregates of the Norwich Jewish Center. They closed the ceremony, led by Rabbi Rose, by singing, “We Shall Overcome.”
“I think it is important we show that the community stands together against this thing,” said Guilford resident Kenneth Fogarty, when asked what prompted him to attend the service. “I’m just hoping it was a foolish prank,” he added, and not the work of a hate group.
Dr. Ted Nichols, dean of Morrisville State College’s Norwich Campus, said the Jewish Community has always been good neighbors to the college and very supportive of its efforts.
“My heart just goes out to them,” Nichols said.
In a tearful address, Leslie Dopkeen, co-president of the Norwich Jewish Center, thanked those at Friday’s service for such an overwhelming, heartfelt show of unity among faiths.
“There were just so many things to do,” said Dopkeen, referring to the chaotic days and hours after the damage was first discovered. “It isn’t until now, when you’re all here, that I can feel in touch with my emotions. I want to thank you very much. It is very meaningful.”