Religion is about not Controlling Elevators?

Religion is about Not Controlling Elevators?

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is notably one of the top cancer centers in the United States. MSK for short has many locations, but the main MSK hospital is in the heart of New York City. Located in the Upper East Side between 68^th street and Lexington Ave, Central Park is a short walk away along with many tourist attractions. Although it wouldn’t be the first place you think of when one thinks of tourist attractions, it is where thousands of patients from all over the world come to for the best cancer care.

            I work here and have been here numerous times for family members, but just recently have noticed this sign near the elevator which read “Sabbath Elevator” (Picture attached below)

The other sign read,” Sabbath Elevator Stops on all floors during Sabbath”. This is a self-explanatory sign, but I wanted to analyze what this little sign in the corner of a crowded cancer center meant. Sabbath elevators are meant to work automatically and stop on every floor to satisfy the Jewish law requirement to abstain from operating electrical switches on Sabbath. This can be evidence of effort made by humans to carve out meaning and assert control within particular social contexts. It is ironic because Jewish people on the Sabbath day can assert control by actually not asserting control on the elevator. This is a form of control too and since they are supposed to abstain from operating electrical switches, control is obtained by just remaining on the elevator until their respected stop.

           

The text is an object for control. Many buildings don’t have this “Sabbath elevator” and control is asserted by acknowledging Jewish customs and traditions. This relates back to every reading we did in class. All the authors have carved out meaning and control within different social contexts whether it was Liebman and Post War II or Dorothy Day and Anticommunism America. One instance of carving out meaning and control which we recently read was in Moxley-Rouses’ piece. The Q’uaran which was the scripture she was discussing was translated differently by different individuals. What we discussed after that reading was that no one has authority over your interpretation of a text and that you can make sense of it without a meditator. Control is asserted by interpreting something as you come to your own terms with it. Individuals can choose to not interpret this sign at all while continuing to go on with their day. Other interpretations can be acknowledging this elevator exists and choosing to engage with it and inform yourself with other religious practices occurring outside of your own religion.  

The social context this text was set in is in the middle of a busy hospital where thousands of people from everywhere come by for treatment. Now more than ever is it important to acknowledge other people and other religions since there is so much hate circulating such as Islamophobia. This objects acts by awareness and provokes thoughts of curiosity. Tourists, doctors, nurses, and myself included are often unaware of other religious practices which need to be followed. It is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a giant busy hospital, but for that minute you are waiting for the elevator we are made aware of different religious practices.