My generation of rabbis - ordained in the 90’s - used to observe that our rabbinate would be different from those of previous generations. Instead of focusing on the dangers of antisemitism, we would focus on the positive aspects of Judaism. More joy, less oy. I’m not sure who invented that phrase, but it expresses the sentiment that guided us.
On a recent Wednesday night, I asked a group of people attending a Temple Israel Men’s Club event - do you feel more afraid or less afraid to be a Jew now than you did when you were growing up? Some said they feel less afraid now and spoke about being bullied as Jews when they grew up. But most said they feel more afraid now.
With antisemitic incidents on the rise, as empirically charted by the ADL and other organizations, and with the genuine fear that many of us continue to have, of course I, and other Jewish leaders, need to continue to respond, to analyze, to offer insight and hopefully some direction when it comes to antisemitism.
In one week alone, 4 people were murdered in Jersey City by to people who were targeting Jews, 3 students were assaulted at Indiana University, and Netzach Synagogue was vandalized in Beverly Hills.
Here are some points I’ve made before, but I believe they bear repeating and expanding:
1. The type of Jew who is targeted shouldn’t matter. Nesach is a Persian synagogue. The store where the murders in Jersey City took place are run by Satmar Hasidim. I don’t know about the backgrounds of the three Jewish boys who were assaulted at Indiana. What I do believe is that these designations appear to be of greater interest to fellow Jews than they are to the outside world. Antisemites seem to want to harm Jews without so much regard to which type of Jews they are harming. An attack on Jews is an attack on Jews - we should be less focused on which type of Jew, and more mindful that those who hate us tend not to distinguish.
2. The type of antisemite who attacks shouldn’t matter. White supremacist, Black Israelite, people representing both groups have done harm. Bari Weiss and Deborah Lipstadt in their respective books about antisemitism urge that wherever we are on the political spectrum, we not give a free pass to right-wing or left-wing antisemitism. Someone who identifies Jews as muddying racial purity is an antisemite. Someone who only has issues with Israel as a nation, and has no issues with other nation-states - is an antisemite.
3. As Jews, we should want the same protection that’s offered to every citizen of the United States - no more, no less.
It is interesting that the story of Joseph in Egypt and the story of Hanukkah are always told at the same time of year.
They are both stories about identity and culture and they both emphasize how our people must defend themselves from external threat while preserving our own distinct identity.
From the time Joseph is brought down to Egypt he experiences life outside of Canaan. He is ensconced in Egyptian culture, he will be given an Egyptian name, he will rise high in the Egyptian ranks.
The Israelites in Egypt will resist persecution from without; they will also forge a national identity from within.
The story of Hanukkah is about resistance to a foreign tyrant. It is also about navigating Jewish identity in a multi-cultural context. In response to Greek culture, you had Jews who assimilated completely and Jews who isolated themselves and Jews who took on certain aspects of Greek culture while preserve aspects of their Jewish identity.
Our ancestors at the time resisted persecution from without and navigated their identity from within.
This, I believe, is what is called for in the current climate. A bold external and internal response.
We must resist antisemitism regardless of which type of Jews are targeted, regardless of the nature and origin of the antisemitism. That includes speaking out against it, advocating for ourselves, seeking out allies who defend our rights as we defend theirs, demanding that we be afforded the same protection as any American citizen.
We must also continue to forge our own identities as Jews living in America, adopting the best that America has to offer while preserving the best of Jewish tradition.
In response to the question whether to add candles each day of Hanukkah or subtract - the sage Hillel to say ma’alin bakodesh. When it comes to holiness, you add.
In these times of anxiety, frustration, sadness and anger we need to pledge to add. To add vigilance, to add security, to add commitment, to add light.
Originally shared at Temple Israel of Great Neck on December 21, 2019
On a recent Wednesday night, I asked a group of people attending a Temple Israel Men’s Club event - do you feel more afraid or less afraid to be a Jew now than you did when you were growing up? Some said they feel less afraid now and spoke about being bullied as Jews when they grew up. But most said they feel more afraid now.
With antisemitic incidents on the rise, as empirically charted by the ADL and other organizations, and with the genuine fear that many of us continue to have, of course I, and other Jewish leaders, need to continue to respond, to analyze, to offer insight and hopefully some direction when it comes to antisemitism.
In one week alone, 4 people were murdered in Jersey City by to people who were targeting Jews, 3 students were assaulted at Indiana University, and Netzach Synagogue was vandalized in Beverly Hills.
Here are some points I’ve made before, but I believe they bear repeating and expanding:
1. The type of Jew who is targeted shouldn’t matter. Nesach is a Persian synagogue. The store where the murders in Jersey City took place are run by Satmar Hasidim. I don’t know about the backgrounds of the three Jewish boys who were assaulted at Indiana. What I do believe is that these designations appear to be of greater interest to fellow Jews than they are to the outside world. Antisemites seem to want to harm Jews without so much regard to which type of Jews they are harming. An attack on Jews is an attack on Jews - we should be less focused on which type of Jew, and more mindful that those who hate us tend not to distinguish.
2. The type of antisemite who attacks shouldn’t matter. White supremacist, Black Israelite, people representing both groups have done harm. Bari Weiss and Deborah Lipstadt in their respective books about antisemitism urge that wherever we are on the political spectrum, we not give a free pass to right-wing or left-wing antisemitism. Someone who identifies Jews as muddying racial purity is an antisemite. Someone who only has issues with Israel as a nation, and has no issues with other nation-states - is an antisemite.
3. As Jews, we should want the same protection that’s offered to every citizen of the United States - no more, no less.
It is interesting that the story of Joseph in Egypt and the story of Hanukkah are always told at the same time of year.
They are both stories about identity and culture and they both emphasize how our people must defend themselves from external threat while preserving our own distinct identity.
From the time Joseph is brought down to Egypt he experiences life outside of Canaan. He is ensconced in Egyptian culture, he will be given an Egyptian name, he will rise high in the Egyptian ranks.
The Israelites in Egypt will resist persecution from without; they will also forge a national identity from within.
The story of Hanukkah is about resistance to a foreign tyrant. It is also about navigating Jewish identity in a multi-cultural context. In response to Greek culture, you had Jews who assimilated completely and Jews who isolated themselves and Jews who took on certain aspects of Greek culture while preserve aspects of their Jewish identity.
Our ancestors at the time resisted persecution from without and navigated their identity from within.
This, I believe, is what is called for in the current climate. A bold external and internal response.
We must resist antisemitism regardless of which type of Jews are targeted, regardless of the nature and origin of the antisemitism. That includes speaking out against it, advocating for ourselves, seeking out allies who defend our rights as we defend theirs, demanding that we be afforded the same protection as any American citizen.
We must also continue to forge our own identities as Jews living in America, adopting the best that America has to offer while preserving the best of Jewish tradition.
In response to the question whether to add candles each day of Hanukkah or subtract - the sage Hillel to say ma’alin bakodesh. When it comes to holiness, you add.
In these times of anxiety, frustration, sadness and anger we need to pledge to add. To add vigilance, to add security, to add commitment, to add light.
Originally shared at Temple Israel of Great Neck on December 21, 2019
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