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To continue on the informal Rust Belt theme running through recent posts, here's a sermon, delivered by a rabbi in the mid-1980s concerning the misfortunes of a great American city, that sound as if they were written yesterday.The late Daniel Silver's words remain widely applicable to any number of American cities these days, not just Cleveland:
A meaningful future depends upon a new recognition of where a city’s strength lies. It’s nice that our suburbs are famous for their green lawns and lovely homes. It’s nice that everybody agrees that Cleveland is a wonderful place to raise children. It’s a wonderful place to raise children if you don’t want your children to live near you when they become adults. As things stand now, they will make their futures elsewhere. Our suburbs are the result of yesterday’s prosperity. Employment and political unity must be today’s goals if we are to have a satisfying future.
Unfortunately, we did not prepare in the fat years for a time when we no longer could take advantage of the circumstances that had made us prosperous. Those who study such things say that if the American economy stays healthy and the formation of new businesses in Cleveland continues at its present rate, we will be fortunate if in 1990 we have the same number of jobs we had in 1970.
Rabbi Silver focuses on the transformative power of education, particularly post-secondary education:
Our future is to be a second-tier city. I do not find that such a discouraging prospect. A prosperous city of two million can be a satisfying place and can provide many amenities. But before we can feel sure even of a second-tier status, we must develop a new economic base and a renewed concern for community. We need to reevaluate our attitudes toward the mind. It is tragic that one in two who enter the city schools never graduate.
Of those who graduate – the best – who enroll in Cleveland State University, 51 percent need remedial work in mathematics; 62 percent need remedial work in English. Half the city’s children do not graduate from high school. More than half who graduate are not prepared for this world. Is this any way to prepare for the 21st Century?
What is remarkable about the rabbi's sermon is how it unifies the various elements that have handicapped his city. Prophetic words, considering the trajectory of cities (especially the provincial, have-not ones) since then. A useful compilation of issues that need to remain at the forefront, as well.
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