People who attended the Shabbat Slam service on December 28th were treated to something both unusual but also quite poignant. I decided to feature at the service the voice and songs of a black homeless man who I had met earlier in the week at a Christmas party downtown.
On Christmas day, my son Danny and I volunteered with Food and Friends, delivering meals to shut-ins throughout the city. Along the way I dropped into the home of a homeless advocate, Harold Moss, who I befriended years ago and have often brought to speak to the high school students my organization brings into Washington to learn about Judaism and political activism. Harold invited me to come to a Christmas party that he and his colleagues were hosting for the homeless at Zaccheaus Soup Kitchen at 10th and G Streets.
It was there that I met David Bratton. David had come to Zaccheaus along with hundreds of others for the one hot meal he would get that day. He invited himself up to the stage where a band was playing in honor of Christmas, and belted out a song about King David called "Dance like David Danced" in a voice that was part Lou Rawls and part Barry White. It was striking. I approached David after the song and complimented him on the gift of his voice. Then it hit me, why not invite him to sing the same song at the Shabbat Slam service I would be leading later that same week at Adat Shalom? The lyrics fit perfectly with the Psalms of the Friday night liturgy.
David accepted my offer. I gave him $20 and a promise of another $30 after the service. I asked him to meet me at White Flint Metro at 3:30 pm on Friday afternoon. I guessed that the chances were 50/50 that he would show. Not only did he show, but he called me on Thursday to assure me that he was good for his word. We brought David back to our home to wash up and take some warm clothes that we had pulled together for him.
Once at synagogue, David hooked up with Michael Berney, who would accompany him on piano, and we planned the service. At the appointed time, I introduced David, who in turn, explained the background to the song, written by Fred Hammond, before singing it. To introduce the second song, an original composition called “A Servant to Me”, David told a bit of his background growing up on the streets of DC, getting in trouble, spending time in jail, and now living on the street. The song was about how he found faith in prison and how he is now committed to living an exemplarly life of service and good citizenship. Admittedly he is starting late. David is 45 years old.
At the end of the service, I invited David to join Rachel on the bimah to offer up "Amazing Grace," a song that comes from the evangelical Christian tradition but which has become a staple of many an interfaith service of which I have been part. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound; that saved a wretch, like me." It was quite a moment. One that no one in attendance will ever forget.
For those of you who were not part of that extraordinary Shabbat service, let me be clear. I did not bring David to Adat Shalom to entertain us. I invited him because I thought that he had a gift that was worth sharing, because I felt that the experience would be somehow important to David in his effort to get his life on track, and because I thought he could teach us something important. Every night, thousands of human beings like David sleep huddled under blankets in the doorways of every city in America. This is harder to ignore once you know one homeless person by name, and when he has used his gift to inspire you in your sanctuary.
Even though I have done a fair amount of work with homeless people, David also touched me and my family. We invited David to sleep in our home that Friday night after services and he was most appreciative, not only for the warm bed, the television and the joy of being served breakfast, but, as he stated to us, his first experience of a loving family that took him in, no questions asked. Even without questions, we learned a lot about David’s life. Maybe more than we wanted to know. He has definitely been on the dark side. It makes his effort to turn his life around both more formidable and more inspiring.
I have offered to help David find a place to live and a job. I’d like to invite the Adat Shalom community to be part of this. For all that Adat Shalom has done as a community in the realm of social justice, I dare say that this takes on a more personal nature. There is a chance that David will not make it, even with our help. But I also think that helping David, to the extent that we can, is a mitzvah waiting for us to fulfill.
On the same night that I introduced David to the congregation, I spoke about the word "mitzvah." I defined it as "an action response to a holy encounter." In meeting David, in learning of his life circumstances, I think the response is humility and outreach. Humility because there but for the grace of God go you or I. By what good fortune was I born into a middle class household in the richest nation on earth and now enjoy all of the comforts that my station afford me? Outreach because if we understand the lesson of one of Judaism’s core teachings, tzelem elohim, the belief that every human being is made in the image of God, we cannot turn our back on a person who so desperately needs a network of love, encouragement and support.
It is virtually impossible for a homeless person to get gainful employment without a place to live, to shower, to prepare meals, to store personal belongings. We take these little things for granted. David is willing to do manual labor, painting, or landscape work. He has no vehicle so it must be Metro accessible. He does have a BA in child psychology and has done counseling for at risk youth. Frankly, I think he has a tremendous amount to offer in this regard given his own life experience and incarceration. I do not know much about the field or how to connect David to it.
I invite you to be part of a network of Adat Shalom members who are willing to help David out. If you are in a position to help with rent, contributions made out to Adat Shalom, earmarked for David Bratton, can be sent to the synagogue. If you have a connection that might lead to a job for David, please contact me. I thank you in advance for your help.
Since posting this message on the AS listserve, I have gotten many offers to help David. At the present time we have gotten and paid for a room for David in a house in Suitland, MD and he is pursuing several job leads provided by members. Down the road we may need other donations of clothes or furniture but not now. I will keep the community notified. Meanwhile I will take the responsibility for being the contact for David. I will keep the community posted.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Sid Schwarz
Letter from David Bratton:
December 31, 2001
Rabbi Schwarz suggested that I communicate directly with members of Adat Shalom. I had the pleasure of being part of your worship service on December 28th. I met your rabbi on Christmas Day at a soup kitchen downtown and he honored me by inviting me to come to your services to sing a few songs.
My life has not been a bed of roses. I spent most of my juvenile and young adult years incarcerated. I currently alternate between sleeping on the street or in shelters. Unfortunately, as the weather gets colder, it is harder to find beds in shelters and I have no choice but to sleep on the street. Though I do have some family members in the city, they are involve in activity that I need to separate from so I don’t choose to live with them.
In my last years in prison, I decided to devote my life to God. It was then that I found my voice and musical talent. I believe that God has a plan for me and I am committed to changing my life. I believe that meeting Rabbi Schwarz and having the opportunity to share my music in your synagogue, was part of God’s plan for me. My life experience has been much different than yours and I have certainly not enjoyed many of the things that you have in your lives. Still, that evening that we shared, I felt that we also shared a part of God’s plan for all of us. When Rabbi Schwarz and his family invited me to stay over in their home after the sabbath services, just for a brief time I felt like I belonged to a structured, healthy family. I have never had that in my life.
At this point, I don’t have a pot, window, or door to call my own. I just want a chance to have a life worth living and a chance to be something other than what society has labeled a loser. Rabbi Schwarz has told me that he will help me find a place to live. That will make it easier to find work.
I have faith that this will all work out. I ask you to include me in your prayers. Whatever you can do to help me I will greatly appreciate.
Thank you.
David Bratton