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August 10, 2006
Pamela Waechter - ger tzedek
Stop urging me to abandon you!
For wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people will become my people,
and your God will become my God.
Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried.
Pamela Waechter was shot to death on July 28th, when a Muslim went on an explicitly anti-Jewish rampage at the Jewish Federation of Seattle. She was targeted and murdered for being a Jew, an identity and community she chose as an adult and dedicated herself to.
Waechter began life as a Lutheran and then converted to Judaism when she married Bill Waechter. Raised in Minnesota, Waechter moved with her new husband to Seattle, where she embraced Jewish life wholeheartedly, both spiritually and professionally. The couple later divorced, but her commitment to the Jewish community did not waver.When Jews were ghettozied and restricted by the rulers under whom they lived, often converting to Judaism was illegal. If not, it included joining a despised minority whose lives were made difficult by the surrounding culture. This is why traditionally it is the custom for rabbis to turn away a proselyte three times before acknowledging the person's sincerity and beginning the conversion process.Waechter initially began volunteering for the synagogue before joining its board, and eventually served a term as the board's president. In the 1990s, she also joined the board of the Union for Reform Judaism. "She undertook these tasks with a wonderful, positive attitude and a real commitment," Mirel said.
Before becoming a staff member at the federation, Waechter worked at the Seattle-area Jewish Family Service, where she coordinated the food bank and worked in outreach. At the federation, Waechter was remembered as a zealous and dedicated Jewish communal servant. "Pam brought a passion to everything she did, a passion for Judaism, and a passion for social services," said Robin Boehler, board chair at the federation.
Converting to Judaism has not been fraught with such diffculties and dangers in the past 50 years, as antisemitism has lessened. but this shooting reminds us the ger tzedek is making a choice to leave the comfort zone of the majority.
Judith | 08/10/06 at 11:59 AM | Categories: - Antisemitism watch
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Comments
May her memory be a blessing.
leah | August 10, 2006 06:10 PM
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