Israel Matzav

In Stoughton, they join hands to wash out hate

It was an urgent chore that brought together people of different faiths -- brushes and spray bottles in hand.

Standing shoulder to shoulder at the Striar Jewish Community Center, Dr. Saeed Shahzad, a local Muslim leader, spritzed a cleaner on the wall, while the Rev. John E. Kelly, pastor of a local Roman Catholic church, and Zack Lappen, 14, a member of the center, scrubbed with brushes.

Less than 24 hours after someone had painted 11 large swastikas on the side of the center, leaders from several religions came together yesterday to scrub away the hate. As they worked, 60 people cheered, sang in Hebrew and English, held signs proclaiming ''No Place for Hate," and clapped as the acting police chief, Chris Ciampa, vowed to catch the culprits.

The people declared that a crime intended to divide the community had ended up uniting it, in a sun-baked show of solidarity.

People came from all around -- Easton, Quincy, Sharon -- children and their parents, Jews and non-Jews.

Kelly, the pastor of St. James Parish in Stoughton, said it was rewarding to don green plastic gloves, grab a brush, and get to work.

He enjoyed watching the black paint, the crude arms of the Nazi symbol, slowly vanish, and reveal the gray shingles of the Jewish center beneath.

''This town has worked very hard against hate," Kelly said. ''And this community deserves better than this. Not just the Jewish community, but all of us.

''There's an anger that can be let out with a little bit of work," he said, ''and I did a little."

After he had finished scrubbing, Shahzad wiped his brow and hugged Beth Lappen -- Zack's mother and the president of the Striar Center. He whispered in her ear: ''Hopefully, this wall will stay clean forever."

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:32 PM