Sally George Wright recently moved permanently to Michigan from Montana, where she had lived on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, home to the Assiniboine, Sioux and other Native American tribes. In her profession as a clinical psychologist, she had been working there with traumatized children and their families for about ten years. While living on the Fort Peck Reservation, the closest synagogue was a five hour drive, making Jewish community difficult. The ability to be active in a Jewish community, to access the healthcare at the U. Mich hospital system, and, not least, to be near her daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter, who live in Saline, drew her to Ann Arbor.
Before living on the reservation, Sally George lived in Billings, MT where she was Vice President of Congregation Beth Aaron (Reform). Her leadership at Beth Aaron included the year 1993, when during Hanukkah a cement block was thrown through the window of another leader in the Jewish community. Even though the KKK and other white supremacist groups had been agitating in Montana and other Northwest states for many years, the Billings community stood up strongly against anti-Semitism and other expressions of religious, racial and ethnic hatred. The members of Sally George’s congregation had already formed a mutually supportive relationship with members of a nearby Black church, and together they formed the nucleus of the legendary response, recounted in more than one book and a movie, Not In Our Town. Billings residents of different religions organized vigils in solidarity and nearly 10,000 of them placed Hanukkiot in their windows so that anti-Semites wouldn’t know who was Jewish. Though the wider community’s actions in support of Jews was bold and forthright, opinions within the Jewish community about how to respond to violent anti-Semitism ranged from the “lay low” variety to the more confrontational. Sally George still vividly remembers chairing some of the meetings within her congregation where differences were aired. Suffice it to say, she comes to AARC as a tempered Jewish community leader.
After attending our warm and participatory high holiday services, Sally George knew that AARC was the congregation for her. She is an accomplished flutist and former children’s choir leader, and enjoys the singing and instrumental accompaniment in our services. Although she has yet to find and unpack the box with her instruments, she looks forward to playing again. She is also looking forward to studying Hebrew, getting to know other AARC families, and especially reaching out to other older members for Shabbat dinners and other socializing.
