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In choosing the inaugural chairperson for his homelessness task force, Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder needed to find someone who is a proven unifier, someone with compassion for their fellow man and someone who can guide a diverse group of people to seek solutions to a very difficult subject.
In Rabbi Joshua Lief of Wheeling's Temple Shalom, he found someone who checked all of those boxes.
The city announced earlier this week that Lief would be the chair of the city's homelessness task force, a group whose roster will be led by members of the clergy in the city and include members from other walks like the health professionals, social service professionals, city council members and others.
In announcing his choice of Lief, Magruder said the rabbi was the right person to lead the group.
"I see the rabbi as quite a leader," Magruder said. "He's served as the chairman of the Human Rights Commission in Wheeling and has always done an admirable job. He's a phenomenal speaker, he knows how to run a meeting, and he's a compassionate and wise man."
He has exhibited those traits in every community in which he has served across the United States, from Tennessee to Florida to Wheeling. In each of those areas, he has worked his hardest to bring those from different backgrounds together to work toward the common goal of making the community around them better.
Lief knows this will be no easy mission. The issue of homelessness in Wheeling has vexed so many groups in the past who have tried to work toward solving the problem. Yet he won't let the past deter him from offering his assistance.
"It's a daunting task and a problem that's certainly beyond one individual or any group of individuals from solving completely," Lief said Tuesday. "As such, we may be tempted to avoid dealing with it. However, my faith certainly directs me that I'm not allowed to avoid difficult things. If the right thing to do is to be of help, I'll try to be of help."
"My faith certainly directs me that I'm not allowed to avoid difficult things." That's a statement that every member of this task force should take to heart as they begin the path toward a solution. This will be difficult. There will be a wide spectrum of opinions on how best to attack the issue. Some of those discussions likely will be pointed.
In Lief, they have someone with the fortitude to navigate those rough patches and to keep this task force focused on its mission. It won't be easy, but with someone like Rabbi Lief in the lead, they'll be off to a promising start.