To Whom Be Glory Forever ” Galatians 1:1-5 (Day 1) David Hocking (davidhocking.org)

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WE SHOULD ALL THANK VICE-PRESIDENT PENCE! form Davidhocking.org

Mike Pence's surprise visit to a historic Jewish cemetery in Missouri, where 200 headstones were desecrated gave a deeply divided country the most unifying moment since President Trump took office Jan. 20.

Pence's healing words and deeds -- he joined volunteers raking debris from the graveyard -- uplifted not only a fearful community facing new, intensified threats, but millions of other Americans who were disturbed, if not horrified, that something like this could happen in the United States. This "vile act," as Pence called the attack on Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery, follows 54 bomb threats at Jewish Community Centers in 27 states since the start of the year alone.

Pence, a deeply religious man, told those gathered they were "inspiring the nation by your love and care for this place, for the Jewish community, and I want to thank you for that inspiration -- for showing the world what America is really about."

The stop, which Pence added to his schedule for a planned visit to a business nearby, will be remembered long after the blur of events of the last four weeks is long forgotten, and showed that small acts can be as powerful as large, loud ones.

There are no press statements or tweets that can take the place of showing up.  A picture of President George W. Bush surveying the damage of Hurricane Katrina from the comfort of his airplane instead of visiting the victims; President Obama's decision to skip a unity march in Paris following the Charlie Hebdo terror attack, as other world leaders linked arms with the French President in support of his nation -- both mistakes said it all. Indeed, Pence's presence in suburban St. Louis said everything.

Trump's young administration has been working hard to fulfill promises he made to supporters during his campaign. But whether it was his Happy New Year wishes to "my enemies and to those who fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do," or his inaugural address last month, Trump has spoken mostly to the 46 percent of voters who cast ballots for him and not to the rest. Aides like Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, when asked about Trump's intentions to reach out to those he hasn't won over, routinely cite his remarks from election night about bringing the nation together, but nothing since then.

While heightened threats and discrimination against Jews have risen sharply just since he took office, Trump has refused to condemn them until this week.  Several times last week he avoided denouncing the dozens of bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers.  When asked the first time, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Trump said: "Well, I just want to say that we are, you know, very honored by the victory that we had - 306 Electoral College votes. We were not supposed to crack 220. You know that, right? There was no way to 221, but then they said there's no way to 270.  And there's tremendous enthusiasm out there."

Without referencing anti-Semitism, Trump added "bad things" have happened for a long time and then said, "As far as people, Jewish people, so many friends; a daughter who happens to be here right now; a son-in-law; and three beautiful grandchildren," and he concluded by promising: "You're going to see a lot of love."

Even before the bomb threats there had been concern about a statement the White House released on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that hadn't mentioned the Jewish people. Not surprisingly, the day after citing his electoral victory in response to the question about anti-Semitism, Trump was asked a similar question. This time, during the 77-minute solo press conference he used to counter stories of chaos in his administration, Trump barked at a journalist from Ami, a Jewish Orthodox magazine.

While the reporter began by saying he had never heard anyone accuse Trump or his staff of being anti-Semitic, he inquired about the government's response to the bomb threats and other such acts across the country. Trump called the question "repulsive" and ordered the reporter to sit down. Then, without any statement about the bomb threats, he declared himself "the least anti-Semitic person you've ever seen in your entire life," as well as "the least racist," and took credit for winning more votes among minorities "relative to other people running as Republican."

Trump's spokesman was pressed over the holiday weekend to respond to the vandalism in Missouri and issued a statement, which, like the one that commemorated the Holocaust, failed to mention the Jewish people or anti-Semitism. After his daughter Ivanka issued a tweet calling for religious tolerance and protection for houses of worship and religious centers, Trump came out Tuesday morning to call the incidents "horrible and painful."

Pence's show of leadership comes at a time when his role in the administration is being questioned at home and abroad. He just returned from Brussels, where he was dispatched to reassure our allies of the President's commitment to NATO as well as the European Union. Yet according to several news accounts, chief strategist Steve Bannon had undermined Pence before he even left Washington last week, criticizing the EU in a confrontational conversation with the German ambassador to the U.S. The White House denies the story, saying the talk between Bannon and the envoy was "just a quick hello."

While Pence's influence may well remain the subject of speculation, he will likely have other opportunities to unite the country, if only for moments, and he should take them. He may have been assigned the task in Missouri by his boss -- and if so, all the better -- but he embraced a painful moment with great empathy.

Pence came to bear witness, representing all Americans, Jewish or not. We owe him our gratitude!

David Hocking

HFT Connect