With some hesitation, this morning I joined with the mayor of Grand Rapids and a group of about 35 people from various faith traditions in a sunrise to sunset fast (drinking only water) that will last until SNAP benefits are restored. My hesitation came about because of some skepticism about whether a small group of people in West Michigan can really make a difference in Washington, DC. I agreed to join the effort because of Isaiah in a passage we read on Yom Kippur:

No, this is the fast I desire:
To unlock the fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke.
It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.

Isaiah 58:6-7

I proposed that fasting is not the end goal. Fasting is a tool to draw attention to real human needs. Fasting is a tool to get the president and the leadership of the senate to do what they need to do to work together to reopen the government and return to one of its primary responsibilities, taking care of the vulnerable of our society. Food, clothing and shelter are basic human needs. We fast to remind our leadership in Washington to do their jobs!

I invite you to join me and this request among your friends and family. Below is the mayor’s initial call for action and a website set up to gather support. I pray that SNAP benefits are restored and that this fast ends soon.

Rabbi Krishef

https://www.fastforsnap.com/

Brothers and Sisters,

As you all know, SNAP benefits are on the brink of being unfunded and indeed are already not funded as of today. This will affect approximately 30,000 Grand Rapids residents. SNAP is used for roughly $300,000 in purchases a day in GR. As of this writing, the State’s ameliorating response seems to be a $4.5 M statewide infusion of food banks. That scales to about $100K for Grand Rapids, or 1/3 of daily SNAP use. While a federal district court judge has ordered funding to be used for another 2 weeks of SNAP, the Trump administration seems to be saying only that it is “looking into” complying. 

While I am working on avenues for real city aid, and will keep working on and monitoring this, and while many of our charitable groups are working to respond, the scale is huge, and the gap too pressing for a full “substitute” for SNAP. I am coming to the conclusion that more is needed, and a public response by faith leaders and others is needed to focus urgency on restoration of food to the community in need

Faith communities have a long history of observing fasting. Jesus’ first act of ministry was a fast. Every year, our Jewish community demonstrate the power of fasting during Yom Kippur, as do our Muslim brothers and sisters during the month of Ramadan. And, as Gandhi and others proved, the political power of fasting- which is after all personally directed and non-violent, but powerful, nevertheless.

In this spirit, I intend to begin fasting for stable funding for SNAP. My political advisors pointed out to me that committing to a fast with a group of committed persons making the same testimony of concern would make the action more visible, powerful, corporate, etc. It is also less easy to dismiss the acts of a group (See “Alice’s Restaurant” for the proof text on this).

I would ask you all:

1. consider joining in a public pledge to fast until stable funding for SNAP is restored
2. Help build out a broader group of participants- in your congregation, community of care, etc.

I think the best fast in this context would be limited to a fast that is not life threatening- no food from sunrise to sunset, only water. The purpose is to make us urgent to work on responses, to take the pain of our SNAP brothers and sisters on ourselves in some sense, and to not “pass by on the other side of the road”. 

Peace and Love. David LaGrand, Mayor, Grand Rapids, MI