Ruminations

Ayele Shakur, speaking on a JCPA panel about Black-Jewish relations, urged the audience to: “Think about coalitions’ relationships in terms of individuals.” Like most of the best ideas, it’s so simple and yet so profound.

For Jews, better understanding political violence is essential to making sense of the precarious moment we face. It provides a category for experiences we have had which specifically try to deprive us of the safety needed to be full participants in our civil society.

Whether or not SNL fits your sense of humor, I actually think there’s something to be learned from their comedy here.

“Let us fight antisemitism with rigor and determination. At the same time, let us not allow that fight to define who we are.”

Our debate must be empathetic; even when we disagree, we disagree as members of the same community. And, as members of unique, pluralistic, historically marginalized group, we should recall (especially in moments when we feel obligated to rebuke our peers (also a mitzvah, by the way!)) that we have to do so in ways that communicate love, respect, and dignity.

The smallest amount of light was all it took to fundamentally change the experience.

We use symbols because they are evocative…and so do our enemies. That’s why the “Save Ireland from the J🔯ws” banner from March 16 replaced its “e” with a Jewish star. It’s also why this week’s Swastika flag is so unsettling. 

In a world that often won’t protect Jews—whether from physical violence or hateful rhetoric—we have learned that Jews can protect themselves. And that’s precisely what we did on Wednesday.

When it comes to matters related to the war between Israel and Hamas, the majority of Jews and Muslims are unlikely to come to complete agreement. This might feel tragic—to me, it certainly does—but it’s not the end of the road. We don’t have to agree about everything to come together and collaborate.

The irony of our position is that our disappointment is only possible because we have allies, and allies sometimes let you down.

People susceptible to antisemitic behavior, it turns out, aren’t so for want of a single touchpoint with Jewish pedagogy, as “inoculation” would suggest. (In fact, to the contrary: We find that many “inoculated” folks misuse their limited knowledge of Jewish history or the Holocaust in attacking Jews.)

Please, I beg you, do not give Hamas this win. Come, march with us in DC—it’s important that we have a large, powerful turnout. And when you do, march for peace; march for justice for the Israeli people; and march with compassion.

Yesterday, I was on a panel discussing Israel's war with Hamas that went seriously off the rails. The recording isn't pretty, but I think it's important for folks to recognize what we're up against, and I share the link to it with that in mind. Be aware that, as WVXU's site says, the segment "contains language some may find inflammatory and/or offensive."

None of you need me to tell you that going backward is impossible. We can’t return to a time when we are ignorant of the existential threats Hamas poses to Israel. We can’t go back to when, for just a few hours of October 7 and 8, much of the world ephemerally rallied to condemn terrorism and support Israel.

These are scary days for the Jewish people. Many wonder silently or aloud: Do we take the kippah off our heads? Remove the Jewish star chain from our neck? Take down the mezuzah off our doorposts? Lower, if we have it, the Israeli flag from outside our homes? I’m sure Muslims wonder similar things these days too, mutatis mutandis.