After Tragedy: Supporting Jewish Friends in Uncertain Times

Betty Brandt • May 23, 2025

Speaking Up for Jewish Safety in a Divided World

You are, no doubt, as horrified as I am by the brutal murders of two young Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, as they left a Jewish diplomatic reception in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 21. The person who has admitted to killing them seems to be motivated by his opposition to the war in Gaza. These murders reminded me of a program I attended a few weeks ago about the “State of Antisemitism in Indiana.” This was a program offered by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Jewish Community Center. I had my eyes opened to the enormous rise in reported antisemitic actions in 2023 and 2024. Much of the increase stems from responses to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. The speaker from the ADL clarified that criticism of the war in Gaza does not equate to antisemitism.

How is antisemitism commonly defined? “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Some of the reported incidents in Indiana were vandalism of property with the use of swastikas. Other incidents involved the distribution of antisemitic fliers in Carmel and Fishers. There were no physical assaults reported. To protect the safety of their members, the JCC and the synagogues have hired security teams.

Jewish communities are deeply concerned about verbal attacks on children from grade school to college. I am aware of an unfortunate incident at the Smokey Row Elementary School in Carmel on March 7, 2025. The school held their annual international festival and one booth had content that stated “the children of Israel have always been a difficult nation” and asked “Did the Jews kill Issa (Jesus)?” This references a centuries-old belief that is at the root of Christian anti-semitism––something wholly inappropriate for a public grade school event.

After the murders this week, I wonder what I can do. My first thought is to make sure that the Christians I know are aware that our Jewish siblings are feeling unsafe and under attack. That’s the purpose of this blog. My second thought is to bring the subject up with my Jewish friends. I would like to know if they feel unsafe as they go about their everyday activities. Are their children and grandchildren being harassed at school? What about all the attention by the Trump administration on protests on college campuses and the accusation that colleges and universities aren’t doing enough to keep their Jewish students safe? Is this really supportive of Jewish students or is it using Jewish students to attack the universities? What about people who are being deported because they speak out against the war in Gaza? I want my Jewish friends to know I am interested in their well-being and the well-being of their families and friends. I can’t prevent the attacks but I can link arms with my Jewish friends to a promote a safe, healthy community. You can, too!

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Resources to Address and Challenge Anti-Semitism from the Anti-Defamation League

Teaching Materials on Anti-Semitism and Racism from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Important note: In researching educational resources to accompany this post from Betty, I found a link to a page from Indiana University offering information about anti-semitism. However, when I tried to visit the page, I discovered it no longer exists. IU has removed all reference to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) because, at Trump's direction, the U.S. Department of Education issued directives warning that schools must eliminate DEI initiatives or risk losing federal financial assistance.

–Matthew Vire

Director of Communications for The Garden

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Easter Sunday | Choose to Belong

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • March 31, 2026

This Sunday we conclude our Lenten series with a heartfelt message, “Choose to Belong.” We’ll celebrate Easter—both as a remembrance of the resurrection and as a celebration of new beginnings, including welcoming new Gardner members into our inclusive community. Easter's beautiful expression of love and hope represents a tradition that calls us to notice the ways love rises again in our lives, dispelling darkness. Whether you interpret the resurrection story literally or embrace it as a metaphor of love overcoming despair, there is a place for you here. This weekend we’ll explore what it means to belong, and how our faith deepens through our connections with one another and with the sacred. Come experience the joy of community and discover how we can embody the transformative love of Christ together. Join us as we celebrate this meaningful day. Let’s embrace new beginnings and growth as one community. We can’t wait to see you.

Choose to Belong

By Matthew Vire • March 25, 2026

The experience of exclusion tempts us to blame ourselves, to think that we're falling short, that we are somehow wrong, damaged, unacceptable, or unworthy. To fix these perceived shortcomings, we may seek to fit in. There's nothing inherently wrong with fitting in — it can feel great — but it may come at the cost of our authenticity. In Letter to My Daughter , Maya Angelou writes, “You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.” She does not mean that we are rootless, but speaks of abandoning the chase for approval so we can be free to show up authentically. We do not need to change who we are to belong. Brené Brown eloquently unpacks Angelou's profound statement in this video. May it offer you reassurance, comfort, and courage as we continue exploring what belonging means.

The Labyrinth Called Life

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • March 24, 2026

Have you noticed it? If you’ve been with us at The Garden over the past six weeks, you’ve likely walked right over it—the Labyrinth just outside the sanctuary doors. It’s easy to miss when we’re rushing in or out, but it’s there quietly inviting us to slow down, breathe, and pay attention to the path beneath our feet. As we move toward Easter, that invitation feels especially timely. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the moment in the story when Jesus enters Jerusalem to cheers, branches waving, and a sense of possibility in the air. But that joyful procession is only the threshold of a much deeper journey. In the days that follow, Jesus moves through experiences that are profoundly human—sharing meals with friends, seeking quiet in a garden, wrestling with uncertainty, facing conflict, and ultimately walking a path that leads to the cross. The story does not shy away from suffering or loss, yet it also doesn’t end there. It moves through death into the promise of new life, renewal, and hope. Whether you connect with this story as history, metaphor, or a mirror for your own life, it offers a pattern many of us recognize: how celebration and struggle often sit side by side, how a single week can hold both joy and heaviness, and how transformation sometimes emerges from places we would never choose. As we enter this meaningful week, I invite you to consider your own path. What are you carrying right now? Where are you seeking connection, clarity, or courage? What parts of your journey are asking for attention, and what new life might be waiting just beyond what you can see? Let this be a week to walk with intention—to notice the twists and turns, the companions along the way, and the quiet hope that can rise even in uncertain places.

Be You. (What Does THAT Mean?)

By Matthew Vire • March 17, 2026

"Be you" is common advice. But what does it mean? The exhortation to "be you" is an invitation to relax into yourself and let go of worries that you don't measure up to someone else's idea of who you are or should be. "Be you" means be honest––to yourself first and then with the world––about your thoughts, feelings, insecurities, passions, interests, and inclinations. It means you're more than worthy. It means you are enough. It means you're worth knowing, seeing, and loving. Our resistance to be ourselves comes from fear, judgement, and insecurity. Fear tells us "hide." Judgment says, "you're not good enough, so you better pretend." Insecurity warns, "people won't like you if they really see you." But it can be easy to Be You. You don't have to do anything; you can just be. The only barrier is self-acceptance. Love can break through that. May this week give you space to breathe, to soften, and to trust that who you are is already held in love.

Paths to Belonging

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • March 16, 2026

This Sunday, we continue our Lenten journey with the theme of belonging. The National Institutes of Health recognizes belonging as a fundamental human need that shapes our mental, physical, and social well-being. One of the insights from our Greenhouse Challenge was the recognition that many people in the U.S. are experiencing loneliness. In response, The Garden has been exploring what it means to belong—not just socially, but spiritually and communally. During worship, we’ll check in with Scott Semester to hear how our grant initiative may help us create spaces of sanctuary—places where people feel seen, safe, and truly at home. Our Scripture this week, Ecclesiastes 4:12, reminds us that “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Belonging is not just about individual strength—it’s about the resilience we find in connection. When we walk together, support one another, and share our lives, we become stronger than we ever could be alone. May we continue to weave lives of compassion, curiosity, and courage—threads that bind us to one another and to the sacred truth that we belong.