Rabbi's Chayva's Chat

NOTE: Originally emailed on November 1, 2023.

The war in Israel continues, and though I hope that soon my messages will be able to address lighter topics, the recent rise in antisemitism and conversations around it are heavy on my mind this week.

One of the hard things about antisemitism is that its very nature makes it hard to discuss. Antisemitism hinges upon the believe that Jews have power, even (and especially) when that power is not apparent. Thus, it becomes extremely hard to acknowledge points of power and privilege that Jews might have, because that acknowledgment seems to erase the other side of the coin; Jewish vulnerability is eliminated from the conversation.

Antisemitism touches the current discourse around the Israel-Hamas War on many levels, including debates over the validity and scope of Israel's response, the lack of media acknowledgment of rockets that continue to fall on Israel, and the rhetoric of colonialism. I want us to be able to be able to identify this hurtful and problematic language. (Here is a good resource from the JCRC that can help.) However, I do not want us to fall into a false binary, i.e., either Israel can respond to Hamas' attack or can have a ceasefire; either Jews have full ownership of the land or have none; either Jewish lives or Palestinian lives matter; etc. 

Periods of such pain heighten threats, antisemitism, and extreme rhetoric. Let us not respond with similar absolutism, but with the thoughtful, moral voice of our people. To paraphrase Rabbi Sharon Brous, "We've lost so much. Let's not lose our minds too."