HDJ

June 20, 2024 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” (Fred Rogers)

In the beginning, there was Cronkite. And it was good. The mighty Walter was “the most trusted man in America,” and the CBS Evening News was how the nation got its daily dose of current events – faster than waiting for the morning paper! One of the hallmarks of my early childhood was sneaking out of bed to squeeze into the brown Naugahyde La-Z-Boy recliner with my dad – whose wink let me know my secret was safe with him — as he watched the 10:00 news. The thrill of youthful rebellion and rare father-daughter time was made even sweeter with a shared bowl of cherry-vanilla ice cream punctuated by Cronkite’s departing catchphrase, “And that’s the way it is,” followed by the date of the broadcast.

Over time, Dad switched to WNEW Channel 5, and after getting the news highlights, the two of us would hold our collective breath to see if any viewers would manage to come up with a sports trivia question that would stump Bill Mazer (a.ka. “The Amazin’”), a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant, yeshiva bucher, and sports fanatic who attributed his encyclopedic recall skills to memorizing his thrice-daily prayers when he was a boy. Like Cronkite, Mazer, too, had a signature closing line: “Good night, my friends, it’s been a pleasure.”

Then there were the three men who guided millions through the unimaginable horror of September 11, 2001. Tom Brokaw of NBC News, Peter Jennings of ABC, and Don Rather of CBS were what historian Garret Graff, author of The Only Plane in the Sky, dubs “the closest thing that America had to national leaders on 9/11.” As Graff describes, “They were the moral authority for the country on that first day, fulfilling a very historical role of basically counseling the country through this tragedy at a moment its political leadership was largely silent and largely absent from the conversation.” When my emotions were at a peak and my eyes overflowed with tears, Rather in particular helped me cut through the noise and stave off panic by tapping his foot on the brakes, cautioning those watching to distinguish between fact and speculation. His rejoinder that “the word of the day is steady, steady” echoed in my pounding head and kept me from giving in to despair.

Fast-forward to 2024. “The News” is no longer a cozy nightly ritual but a 24-hour-a-day, second-by-second onslaught. Catch phrases and closing lines by revered anchors have given way to sensationalism as 24-hour cable news networks compete for viewers with each other and with the Internet. Instead of being soothed by the reminder to stay “steady, steady,” we are egged on by algorithms to descend into a doomscrolling rabbit hole. Every day the sky is falling, and then, miraculously, we wake up to find that it has not yet fallen — but we can count on a headline on social or t.v. to assure us that TODAY will definitely be the day!

Which is why two good friends and I recently made a pact to follow Mr. Rogers’ example and “look for the helpers.” The doom and gloom reverberating off the walls of our echo chambers notwithstanding, there are a lot of good people doing a lot of good things out there who just aren’t good click-bait material. Ergo the genesis of “Helpers Du Jour” (HDJ): every day, my friends and I actively seek out stories about the individuals and institutions contributing to make the world a better place (the helpers!) and share them with each other to offset the negativity around us.

Our HDJs have included, among others,  a café offering paid internships, mental health services, and education to youth in detention; an American Legion Outpost commander who helped a dying Marine veteran realize his last wish of receiving a high school diploma; a 105-year-old woman who set a track-and-field world record for oldest competitor; a groom who surprised his bride by having her students with Down syndrome be the ring bearers at their wedding; a man who saved one of the largest forests in India from coal mining; the first Black woman pilot in the history of the United States Air Force, who before her final flight last month was also the first Black woman to serve as a command pilot and instructor for the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker; a nonprofit that takes those who, through age or disability, are no longer able to ride their bikes for rides in special trishaws; an Afghani woman who fled with her family to Denmark after her father was murdered by the Taliban and has since scored nearly 200 goals in professional soccer (representing the Danish National Soccer Team on 98 occasions), and finished medical school, and is studying to become a reconstructive surgeon, and speaks 11 languages fluently; an autistic teen who, despite usually being nonverbal, gave a powerful high school graduation speech that brought down the house; and a109-year-old Australian man who knits tiny sweaters for injured penguins. Tikkun olam – world healing – at its finest!

Tikkun olam is one of the Maine Jewish Museum’s core values. We are committed to drawing lessons from the Maine Jewish experience to create a kinder, more compassionate, and equitable society – to being one of the helpers. But to give help as an itty-bitty nonprofit with not-so-itty-bitty goals requires that we also seek help from our friends and supporters, whose generosity keeps the lights on and makes it all possible. And over the course of the next two months, we have two fun and exciting ways for you to help us be a helper.

First, beginning today at noon through Thursday, June 30 at noon, you can support MJM by bidding on great art. Our online art auction features notable works by artists including Robert Andrew Parker, Dahlov Ipcar, and Harold Garde, to name just a few. Acquiring art while doing good is anyone’s idea of a win-win!

Next, there’s Fashion, Food, and Fun(d)raiser: A Celebration of Our Diverse Community, back by popular demand for the second year in a row on Thursday, August 8, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. This cultural extravaganza is inspired by the stories we wear – stories that are individual and authentic and connect us at the most fundamental level, communicating messages across history, time, culture, and language. This year’s runway show, spotlighting Maine Jewish, immigrant, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and differently abled fashion designers and models, will be amplified by an internationally inspired cocktail and small plates hour, live music by the multinational and multigenerational Bondeko, an impressive live auction, and a decadent dessert display for a grand finale and sweet ending. There will also be a “mystery” Keynote Speaker (my lips are sealed – you’ll have to attend to be in on the secret!) who exemplifies everything the Fashion Show stands for and has earned a rightful spot in the HDJ Club. Our inaugural Fashion Show in 2023 sold out quickly, so don’t wait to purchase your tickets!

Mr. Rogers’ mom was right. In the bleakest of times, you will always find people who are helping. Thank you for being among them.

I suppose I could spend time theorizing how it is that people are not bad to each other, but that’s really not the point. The point is that in almost every instance of our lives, our social lives, we are, if we pay attention, in the midst of an almost constant, if subtle, caretaking. Holding open doors. Offering elbows at crosswalks. Letting someone else go first. Helping with the heavy bags. Reaching what’s too high, or what’s been dropped. Pulling someone back to their feet. Stopping at the car wreck, at the struck dog. The alternating merge, also known as the zipper. This caretaking is our default mode and it’s always a lie that convinces us to act or believe otherwise. Always. (Ross Gay)

Warmly,

Dawn

Dawn LaRochelle

Executive Director