No one could blame Southern Tier religious leaders for looking into 2023 with trepidation.
Consider that in July, three Hornell residents were charged with hate crimes after allegedly distributing more than 100 flyers promoting the "Aryan National Army" around the city, including at Rehoboth Deliverance Ministries Church and the Temple Beth-El synagogue.
And on the national stage, controversial remarks and antisemitic discourse by celebrities and others on social media took hold. In October, Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, drew attention with controversial statements including a podcast appearance and posts on Twitter that were laden with antisemitism.
Local faith leaders were prompted to address the subject with their congregations, to sift through the darkness and find a path forward. From their perspective, the solution emerges close to home, when interfaith groups flourish, when the faithful forge connections in and outside their places of worship, when a community vows not to forget.
As 2023 begins, three Southern Tier religious leaders look beyond past incidents of intolerance, and into the future with optimism. There is strength, they say, in unity, in community involvement and even in small steps "to make this world a kinder place."
Rev. Bruce Incze, pastor, Arkport Presbyterian Church
Incze, who has led the approximately 40-member congregation in Steuben County for five years, expects a continuation of the interfaith unity that was forged after racist flyers were dumped around the Maple City.
After the arrests, Incze and a group of religious leaders crafted a response, publishing a proclamation that called the flyers an act of "intimidation and hatred" and an "intolerable assault on the fabric of our community."
The group followed up in September with the Walk for Racial and Religious Healing in Hornell. More than 75 people took part in the walk, which included brief remarks outside the church buildings targeted in July.
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According to Incze, the 10-member group's creation opened new lines of communication in the Hornell religious community. Many of the people who took part in the walk got together again during the holiday season for a community meal at the United Presbyterian Church in Hornell.
Their work will continue in 2023. Incze said plans are in place for an event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"Often times, when something ugly happens, folks get together and they have a response. And then that response kind of fades," Incze said. "And I know that many of us who are on the leadership team really desire for a long haul perspective."
Regardless of how many special events they schedule or activities they participate in, Incze believes the group's success can be measured by the relationships they've forged. That, he says, is a good start.
Incza feels hopeful about 2023, but admits that's his go-to attitude every year.
“I am prone to what I think the world would call optimism," he said. "But that comes from my faith more than from an analysis of the news. I think if one focuses on the things that one sees, it could be easy to be discouraged. But I see a lot that encourages me as well.
“I tend to have hope that this will be a year of great blessings for many."
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Rabbi Levi Slonim, Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life at Binghamton University
Slonim, one of four leaders at the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life at Binghamton University, looks to 2023 with the added significance as a year of Hakhel, a special time of gathering and community that occurs every seven years.
"We try to do whatever we can to emphasize the important role that everyone plays in our society and that we are stronger together," Slonim said.
According to Slonim, that unity is especially important after last year's barrage of antisemitism.
“Has it been a tough two months in terms of a lot of the nonsense being shared on social media? Yes, it’s been tough but as a whole, but I look at positives," Slonim said. "There are a lot of good things happening in the world.”
Slonim points to Binghamton University students, who during the 13th annual Light up a Life toy drive raised more than $34,000 worth of toys for children with cancer. It's an effort he calls “one little example of people doing amazing things.”
“It’s up to us," Slonim said. "As long as we are alive that means we have the potential to do good and we have the potential to make a difference and to have an impact. To have a positive impact.”
Slonim sees potential for continued progress in 2023, drawing on the words of his mentor, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
"Every person needs to think to themselves, ‘What is my purpose in life and how am I achieving that?’ And from our perspective, the purpose of life, and our purpose for being here is to make this world a better place. To make this world a kinder place. Everyone can do that. That is not a Jewish thing. That is a thing for all mankind.”
Iman Anas Shaikh, executive director Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier
Shaikh, a Binghamton area native, takes a philosophical approach to the year that just passed.
“Everyone goes through ups and downs in life," he said. "No one’s life is perfect, so you are going to have people who have difficulties in life. Some people will have good things happen. Some people may think 2022 was excellent year for them. Some may say it was a difficult year for them.”
As executive director, Shaikh oversees religious operations of the Islamic Organization of the Southern Tier as well as fundraising, planning and interfaith outreach, a top priority for 2023.
“I think we have been blessed that we have a very strong interfaith group presence," Shaikh said of the area.
IOST is a member of the Children of Abraham, the Johnson City Interfaith Association and the Binghamton University Interfaith Council. Its members also take their role in community building seriously, supporting food banks, 5K fundraisers and other outreach efforts.
"We have a very strong presence in the community. We have a lot of outpouring of support. Rarely have we faced hate or intolerance from the local community," he said.
When members have encountered anti-Islam bias, Shaikh attributes it to misconceptions created by inaccurate media reports about Islam, and says, "We have to mitigate that the best we can."
Shaikh sees the passing of one year to the next as time for reflection.
“Don’t expect to have a perfect life. Don’t expect to have a life without problems," he said. "You will have problems but they are very minute compared to all you will have. Yes, God will test us. (But) we want to be optimistic that we are passing those tests. We always want to be cognizant that we have so much more than the difficulties we will have.”
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