GPS is very convenient for sure but I joke with our kids that they need GPS to drive from our house to the train station. Because they emerged as drivers with GPS as part of their reality, they have a poorer sense of direction than they otherwise would. Their internal navigation system is diminished because they don’t have to rely on it so much.
Norbert Friedman (1923-2019)
In general navigation is becoming a lost art. I’m not thinking now about driving to the train station. I’m thinking about navigating complex situations. And while I could give all kinds of examples, specifically I want us to think about how the Jewish community is navigating the realities that we face which include, sadly and ominously, a rise in Antisemitism in Europe and the United States along with systemic infringements on the rights of others.
How do we navigate? Do we protect ourselves? Do we protect others?
Do we build walls? Do we build bridges? How do we determine who are our friends and who are our enemies?
The same way that GPS for all of its value may be causing our capacity to navigate on the road to atrophy, I am concerned that social media for all of its value may be causing our capacity to navigate complex social and political realties to be less sharp than it once was.
Just a few days ago, I found out about the death of someone I care about, someone who had a strong impact on me, someone who knew how to navigate life’s complexities. I want to say a few words about him because he deserves it but also because reflecting on his life, I believe, will be illuminating for all of us.
Norbert Friedman died a few days ago at the age of 96. He survived the Holocaust and was imprisoned in 11 concentration camps. He lived for many years in West Hempstead and I got to know him well as his rabbi for 7 years.