Wednesday, January 01, 2020

Pride Without Prejudice: On Antisemitism and Identity


        “Look for the silver lining.” “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”  “Make lemonade out of lemons.”  How many dozens — hundreds — of ways do we have to inspire, motivate, comfort or convince ourselves that good can come from bad.
         Some people even go so far as to say, out of religious conviction or an abiding commitment to order and purpose in the universe, that bad happens in order to lead to the good.  That it is all part of a plan, that ours is just to keep the faith and carry on.
         Which leads to the latest chapter of “Is It Good for the Jews?”  This in the form of the recent epidemic of violent, indeed deadly antisemitism in our country, and our world.

         My teacher Rabbi Donniel Hartman reveals, in a recent article, how much he “hates” talking about antisemitism.  I have seen, myself, how sometimes the only thing which will get otherwise less-than-connected Jews to pay attention is an external threat, how seventh graders “wake up” to focus on Auschwitz (too young to teach the Holocaust, but too many are gone after B’nai Mitzvah that there seemed little choice).  But I am interested in Jewish action in history, not merely reaction – in our agency, more than our suffering and victimhood.  In our history we Auschwitz, yes.  But we also have Sinai.  And so much more.
         Historian and Holocaust Scholar Deborah Lipstadt, author of History on Trial and Antisemitism: Here and Now, shared a story in her remarks at the Reform movement Biennial convention in Chicago last month.  She spoke of a student who suddenly began wearing a kippah as a reaction to antisemitism, as a visible indication that he refused to be intimidated.  I think everyone listening to her expected her response to be one of admiration.
         It was that.  But not solely that.  She also shared a sadness, a sorrow that, she said, he was letting those who hate Jews define his Jewish life for him.  He was outsourcing his identity. He was, she said, “motivated by the ‘Oy’ of being Jewish, not by the joy of Jewish life. That’s not my Judaism, and I don’t want it to be his.”

         My tenth grade students, from the late 1990’s until just a few years ago, looked at me like I was crazy and out of touch when I taught about people who hate Jews.  Those same-aged students now are hardly dismissing the discussion out of hand (although many of them do, characteristically, still “universalize” it, and are not equipped to see the uniquely anti-Jewish contours of this particular disease.)
 But what are we to do, and what are we to take from this return to darkness?  And it has to be more than just: “hey, at least now they’ll pay attention.”
        
         A few observations, each of which warrant longer treatment.  I share now some “bullet points” (a singularly inappropriate term, given the context of violence in our midst.)

·        Antisemitism is not limited to one side of a political spectrum.  It comes from the right, and the left, from white nationalists and black separatists and many more sources.  Using these events to score political points is its own form of obscenity.
·        This is not a reaction to what we do.  It is based on who we are.
·        Targets in New York at the moment may be focused on those who seem very visibly Jewish, Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews.  (Distinctions between and among those groups is a discussion for another time as well.  The term “Chasidic” in particular is very widely misunderstood and misused.)  But make no mistake: an attack on any Jewish person, because they are Jewish, is an attack on all Jews.
·        We must stand against all forms of racism and bigotry, and be allies for minorities and the “other” wherever they may be.  To have a friend, we have to be a friend.
·        But.  There is something unique about hatred of Jews, in its persistence over time, its manifestations in places where there are many Jews and where there are none, and its combination of religious, ethnic, sociological and psychological motives.
·        No Jewish person, and no Jewish community, is immune.  We are all on the front line in the battle against this disease.  Those who live in the Virgin Islands are fortunate to be in a place with little history of antisemitism.  But there have been moments, even here – hate mail received, or deeply psychotic or ill-willed postings on local social media.  And despite being on an island, today, no one “is” an island.
·        This is not about Israel.  While it is legitimate to question an Israeli policy (many of which I strongly oppose), too many involved in activity against Israel question its very polity.  I therefore believe that, unless you are opposed to all nation-states in all forms and you do not believe in borders and boundaries at all, anti-Zionism (defined as opposition to the very idea of – democratic – Jewish state,) is antisemitism.
·        This is real.  Things are bad.  And it is getting worse. 
·        But remember: in no way is this the worst of times.  It is far better to be Jewish today than at almost any other point in history.  We have the resources, the experience, and the will to turn this back, and bring back hope, and light, and love.

         There is no magic want here. The best responses do not provide an instant fix.  But light can shine, still, and good can come, out of hatred and horror.

Here is what we already know about a healthy expression of Jewish identity: that we be active as Jews, yes, but also reach out to others.  That we be vigilant, but not rigid.  That our doors should be guarded, but still open with ease.   

As Jews, we are all connected to each other.  May we increase our love for other Jews, of different streams and different expressions – even as we acknowledge our distinctions.  We share a common fate, even if we cannot always share a plate, or pray in the same way. 
And as Americans, and as human beings, we are also connected.  May we be good neighbors, involved in our communities, caring about what makes others hurt.

Pride, without prejudice.  And this: wherever you go, whatever you do, however you “Jew” – you are, always, an ambassador for us all.
No pressure!  And best wishes for a happier, healthier, and safer new year.

No comments: