Religious leaders say new day dawns

It's time to move forward, they say.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- The conviction of Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. means the Mahoning Valley can break the stranglehold of corruption and reverse its negative national image, religious leaders said.
"Now it's up to us whether we seize this opportunity," said Rabbi Simeon Kolko, leader of Ohev Tzedek-Shaarei Torah Congregation in Boardman.
Reaction was mixed to the verdict itself.
"Isn't that wonderful?" said the Rev. Kathryn Adams when she heard the news.
"It's about time," added the Rev. Ms. Adams, head of the Protestant Campus Ministry at Youngstown State University. "He was playing by the old-guy rules, and it came back on him."
Longtime Valley pastor, the Rev. Lonnie K.A. Simon, said, "I was kind of shocked" at the verdict.
The Rev. Mr. Simon said he was a character witness for Traficant when he beat earlier federal corruption charges as Mahoning County sheriff.
"This caps it all," Mr. Simon said. "Youngstown has been freed of crime and corruption."
As a result of the national coverage of Traficant's recent federal trial, "Youngstown has a black eye all over the country," Mr. Simon said.
Lesson: The verdict sends an important message to the Valley, said Ms. Adams: "Wake up and move ahead."
The students at YSU, many of whom are local residents, can learn an important message, she added.
"You can't spend your life doing whatever you want. You are accountable. Everyone is accountable," she said.
Optimistic: Rabbi Joseph P. Schonberger, leader of Temple El Emeth in Liberty, said he's optimistic.
"There are good people in the Valley, and now it's up to us to move forward," said Schonberger.
Rabbi Kolko said, "The conviction of Congressman Traficant was necessary if we are to have any hope cleaning up the political and ethical and cultural mess we face. It gives the people of the Valley the chance to reclaim the public life of their community."
Rabbi Kolko and other religious leaders spoke of concern for Traficant and his family in the wake of the conviction. But praise for his political legacy was scant.
Mr. Simon said Traficant rejected his advice to tone down his bombast.
"He was Big Jim," Mr. Simon said.
"Part of the poison created by Jim Traficant was not only built around the callousness toward ethics and legality that he displayed throughout his tenure," said Rabbi Kolko. "But he's a force that has divided the community. He's divided religious and ethnic groups against each other."
The conviction gives the spiritual community a chance to again speak with one voice, the rabbi said.
'Anti-Semitism': Rabbi Kolko, a relative newcomer to the Mahoning Valley, said of the Jewish community, "In the face of the history of Jim Traficant's blatant anti-Semitism, I think they have been too passive in accepting that."
The congressman's actions included support for a former Nazi death camp worker living in Cleveland and pointing out during a national television talk show that a questioner was Jewish.
Rabbi Schonberger said he didn't want to get into labels, noting the Jewish community liked some of Traficant's positions and disliked others.
Throughout Traficant's tenure, said Schonberger, the Jewish community has been very optimistic.
"That's a comment on the community," the rabbi said.
A message: Mr. Simon said the conviction sends a message that politicians can't take the voters for granted and will have to toe the line.
"They have to," said Mr. Simon. "We've had enough."
The Valley's reputation is like "another Chicago," said the veteran Baptist minister.
"Youngstown wants to be clean," said Mr. Simon. "We have to start all over. No business will come with all this corruption," said Mr. Simon. "There is no reason for evil to reside in a community like Youngstown."
The Rev. Jay Alford, pastor emeritus of Highway Tabernacle in Austintown, was among religious leaders who began praying many years ago for an end to the corruption.
He said he was not sure he felt that the corruption has ended.
"I think we need to pray for the emergence of strong moral leadership dedicated to serving the people of the Valley," the said the Rev. Mr. Alford. "We must support that leadership as it emerges."
wilkinson@vindy.com