Levi Graber

Liaison to the Indiana Amish Communities

Perhaps most obvious is the reality that the Amish do not own or drive cars although they are not averse to riding in them or using public transportation. It should be understood that Amish practices vary according to geographic location. For example, Amish in Pennsylvania have different practices than those in Indiana or Ohio; however, no authentically Amish person anywhere in North America drives a car. For local transportation, the horse and buggy are used, and for long-distance travel, busses, trains, or the hiring of drivers of vans or cars is commonplace. Thus, the Amish are not impacted as we are by high gas prices. They use sparse amounts of gasoline to power small motors around their homes and farms that power refrigerators, washing machines, and pump running water. Many Amish farms have giant windmills that also pump water for home and farm animal consumption.

After dark the Amish rely on Coleman lanterns for light; however, some communities use only candles and kerosene lamps. In any event, all are off the grid and do not utilize electricity, natural gas, or home heating oil. Woodstoves provide heating, and wood fuels the kitchen stove on which meals are cooked. For small meals a Coleman camping stove may be used which is fueled by propane canisters. Some more conservative branches of the community do not have indoor plumbing at all, do not use gasoline-powered motors, do not have refrigerators, couches, or stuffed chairs. They use no running water, but only windmills and hand pumps.

The principal occupation of the Amish community is farming, but over the decades, higher prices for land and equipment have necessitated their having jobs off the farm. Amish men frequently work in a nearby town, and many men and women have small home businesses such as harness making, furniture building, weaving, and a variety of other crafts that they sell on the farm or in town at flea markets or may place in stores on consignment. They take enormous pride in making things and doing so with extraordinary care and craftsmanship. For the most part, the Amish cherish self-sufficiency and not having to depend on working outside the home for their sustenance.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Amish community is their commitment to taking care of each other. Just as no authentic Amish person drives a car, none has insurance of any kind. Amish "insurance", as they are fond of saying, is their community. If a member of the community accumulates enormous medical bills, a collection is taken, and with it, the bills are paid. If a house or barn burns, the community rebuilds it. Litigation in their community is unknown in terms of their taking anyone to court as they do not believe in lawsuits. Moreover, the Amish are pacifists who do not believe in retaliation of any kind, physical, emotional, or legal.

One may be tempted to assume that Amish separateness from the non-Amish community causes them to be isolated or uninformed, but quite the opposite is true. They read local newspapers and have one of their own the Sugarcreek Budget, established in 1890, with circulation throughout the North American Amish community. While the Amish do not own computers, they may use them in work outside the home, and some are familiar with the Internet.

Each time I am privileged to associate with the Amish I am deeply touched by their warmth, generosity, and well-I really can't think of a more apt word than love. Despite their rigid gender roles and proliferating birth rate, I know that if I were in dire straights, I could turn to them and be given what I need.

The Amish live, rather than merely teach or preach, the values of Christ and other great spiritual teachers. They demonstrate the Golden Rule daily and seek to live peaceably with all beings. In the days of the military draft, young Amish men registered as conscientious objectors and worked in hospitals to serve their country as medical assistants rather than participate in war. Every Amish man and woman's life is about some aspect of service whether in a formally structured setting or simply living a life of service in relation to his/her fellow humans. And while their religion is Christian and not animistic, they revere the earth as a gift from the creator-a gift which they cherish and endeavor to consciously protect and preserve.

The Indiana Council for Animal Welfare could not be more humbled or proud to have someone such as Levi Graber to be the Liaison to the Amish communities in Indiana.