Alfond embodied ‘tzedakah’

About two months ago, Harold Alfond died. Most of us know his name because of his widespread support of athletics and because of the local Alfond Arena at the University of Maine in Orono. This son of Russian Jewish immigrants made his fortune by building two successful shoe companies, including Dexter Shoe. The Alfonds made their reputation by being generous philanthropists to many colleges in Maine and Massachusetts.

I did not know Harold Alfond. I do know the expression “jew me down.” I heard it for the first time more than 30 years ago while living in a dormitory at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where I went to college. A friend of mine used it casually. I questioned him about it, learned what he meant by it and told him that I found the use of this expression to be offensive, inappropriate and negatively stereotyping a whole group of people.

The word “jew” can even be found in some dictionaries. It refers to a time in medieval Europe when, for hundreds of years, Jews were forced to become moneylenders or usurers. Christians, according to medieval church doctrine, were not allowed to lend money to other Christians for interest. So, some Jews became the local moneylenders, the local bankers. This was a skilled profession and also a hated position. After all, who really likes having to take a loan and repaying that debt with interest over many months or years?

Certainly there are cheap Jews, or frugal Jews. In fact, there are some cheap Christians or frugal Christians. There are, however, many very generous and philanthropic Jews, as there are many generous and philanthropic Christians.

It is both sad and dangerous to stereotype. There may be truth behind the stereotype. However, there is always untruth behind stereotypes and it only helps to reinforce negative ideas and harmful thoughts usually about misunderstood groups or minorities.

“Tzedakah” is a Hebrew word meaning righteousness or justice. It is often translated as charity. “Tzedakah” refers to the very important Jewish value of helping those in need, of acting justly, of doing acts of righteousness, of giving of oneself and of one’s financial resources to benefit others. This is what Harold Alfond did during his life. This is what countless other Jews have done in their lives – performing acts of “tzedakah” in order to help make our world a better place for those who have less than we may have.

Our Jewish history has been fraught with many harsh misunderstandings. Jews have been poorly understood. We have been stereotyped, ostracized, derided, falsely accused of crimes, assaulted and, during the Holocaust, we were murdered in a vicious genocide by a modern civilized nation.

In medieval Europe, many states forced Jews to live in ghettoes, which contributed to the lack of understanding between the dominant Christian groups and the “different” minority Jewish groups scattered throughout Europe and the world. It is only now, in this amazing diverse country, the United States of America, that we have the opportunity to share, as equals, our diverse backgrounds, beliefs and customs. This opportunity, for so many people, has never existed before as it now does in America.

Words can hurt and words can heal. We all know that sincerely saying “I love you” brings warmth to the one who hears it and the one who says it. We all know that saying something cruel makes both the one who said the remark and the one who heard it angry. We need to be careful with what we say and with what we do. By using loving words and by performing acts of righteousness and acts of kindness, we can help make our world a better place.

Rabbi Barry Krieger is the rabbinic facilitator for the Hillel organization at the University of Maine in Orono. He may be reached via bkrieger56@aol.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.