Over the weekend, Bluestem explored the reaction from Minnesota to Israel to NRCC ads attacking Minnesota First Congressional District Democratic candidate Dan Feehan in our posts Strib: Hagedorn's fearmongering and bombast wrong for district; Feehan right choice for MN01 and MN01: NRCC head defends anti-Semitic ads demonizing Soros and Dan Feehan.
Now clergy members in the district are distributing a letter asking his Republican opponent, Jim Hagedorn, to denounce the ads. We've been sent the following letter from clergy by Faith in Minnesota, the 501(c)4 arm of ISAIAH. Here's the letter:
. . .Southern Minnesota Clergy Issued the Following Letter:
“As clergy and religious leaders in Southern Minnesota, we believe we have a responsibility to serve everyone in this community - no matter what faith. We know that all Southern Minnesotans whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim; black, brown or white, want similar things: to be able to care for our families and feel safe and respected.
We spent this weekend in grief and prayer after the shootings at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg. This was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the history of our country. This attack has shaken us to our core and caused us all to reflect upon how we could have come to this point.
Today, as we mourn, we call on our communities to come together in unity. To all who are confused and grieving, you are welcome in our places of worship and in our communities. We are here for you and alongside you.
And yet, it is not enough to pray and lean on one another in this moment. We must also look at the choices certain people in power have made that enable, excuse, and breed this type of violence.
When public leaders running for office use fear and division to win votes; when candidates for office, especially national office, try to turn us against one another it is not without dire consequences. In this election, some politicians have attempted to point the finger at Black and brown Minnesotans, at people seeking asylum, at Muslims, and at Jews. They are stoking these fears intentionally because they know they have nothing better to offer, and so long as we are divided, we cannot come together to demand the better future we want for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors.
And the consequences are profound. This cruel attempt to trade on fear has turned houses of prayer and safety into houses of mourning. Last year, a mosque in Bloomington, MN was bombed. On Saturday, a synagogue was attacked. These attacks have shattered our sense of safety and forced us to imagine the unthinkable.
We must speak up. And more: we must act.
As faith leaders in Southern Minnesota we call on all public officials and those who seek office to commit to a higher standard. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome, but they are not enough. We call on you to make it clear that Minnesota welcomes everyone by rejecting racist dog-whistles and campaign rhetoric that incites fear. We call on you to represent the values we share: coming together, working hard, caring for our families, loving our neighbors, and investing in our future.
We are grateful to the public leaders who have already taken this path.
Others have not: we call on Jim Hagedorn, candidate for Congress, to denounce the anti-semitic and anti-immigrant campaign ads running on his behalf. If you do not, Mr. Hagedorn, you are contributing to the political culture that has already led to violence and death. Instead, let us imagine together a kind of politics that elevates our community and holds all of us to our highest moral standards. Let us imagine together a kind of politics that is greater than fear; a kind of politics that is about the better future we get to build together.”
Signed:
Bishop Steven Delzer, Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA
Rev. Beth Rogers, Peace United Church of Christ, Rochester
Rev. Corrine Haulotte, Lutheran Campus Center, Winona
Rev. Coqui Conkey, United Church of Christ, Owatonna
Rev. Dan Doering, People of Hope ELCA, Rochester
Daniel Wilson, Winona Friends Meeting
Father Henry Doyle, Christ Episcopal Church, Albert Lea; Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, Faribault; St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Waterville; The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault
Pastor Kathy Redig, All Are One Roman Catholic Church, Winona
Pastor Loren Olson, Prairie Spirit Cooperative Parish (UMC), Owatonna and Dodge Center
Rev. Luke Stevens-Royer, First Unitarian Universalist, Rochester
Rev. Dr. Mark Docken, Chatfield Lutheran Church ELCA, Chatfield
Michael Resman, Quaker Meeting, Rochester
Patrick Gannon, Holy Ground catholic Community, Rochester
Pastor Rachel Riggle, Presbyterian
Regina Mustafa, Community Interfaith Dialogue on Islam, Rochester
(Retired) Pastor Alan Bray, ELCA, St. Peter
(Retired) Charles R. Christensen, ELCA Lutheran First Lutheran Church, St. Peter
(Retired) John E. Frey, ELCA, Mankato
Photo: President Trump and MN01 congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn at the Trump Rally in Rochester earlier this month. Via Hagedorn's campaign Facebook page.
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