Nachum, I am going to use this comment to you as a template and send it to anyone that may have some influence to initiate what I see are the two components to a necessary response to anti semitism.
1. The Military Response - all Jewish schools and Yeshivas should be offering a required self defense course that students need to pass in order to graduate. Once a student completes the course he/she should be able to handle themselves when physically challenged.
In addition, all these large Jewish organizations who constantly beg for money and do relatively nothing should be offering this course to all non-students, the elderly etc. They should be FREE OF CHARGE and come out of public donations.
2. The Narrative Response - All articles, news stories, opinion pieces on antisemitism should have a CALL TO ACTION. Something that the reader can do to fight whatever antisemitic incident happened. An email address to send a complaint, the name of the individual, the company, whatever .... they should all have a method of contact. Sometimes it can be as simple as writing an email to your local Mayor or elected official but always either an email or a phone number. I have read countless articles on anti semitic acts without a call to action. The writer or journalist should not expect the reader to look it up for themselves. People are lazy and we need to make the process as simple as possible.
Reclaiming Jewish Heritage - I dont really think there needs to be too much done in that area. The anti semitic hatred is enuf of an impetus for reclaiming Jewish Heritage. Look at how all of us are more involved in things Jewish after Oct 7th. We seem to be reclaiming in our sleep.
Amen, agree on both points: gearing up and speaking up. And as you so well wrapped up, Oct 7, 2023 changed all of us. If we wobbled on our Jewish life before, this war brought us home.
Thank you, Nachum. We bounce back daily, get busy, laud the victories of IDF, Israel, scorn western media lies, etc., all of this but something huge shifted under our Jewish feet wherever we are on earth, October 7, 2023. The resultant spew of antisemitism, of Jew hatred, can not be appeased. Ever again. Shana Tova and Shavu Shalom Yerushalyim.
I was raised as a High Holidays/Passover Jew. I went to Hebrew school a couple of afternoons a week as a child (for a short time) and barely learned the alphabet, much less what Judaism was. My first husband was not Jewish and my early adult years were spent in full "assimilation mode". I never hid my Jewishness but I didn't dwell on it either. In those days, Israel was seen as heroic in the eyes of the Western media. I rarely experienced any anti-Semitism, and when I did I figured the person was just an idiot or a misfit. I didn't think that he or she represented a threat.
Twenty years ago, thanks to the Chabad, I began studying Judaism. This coincided with my changing political views and I appreciated the brilliance of our scriptures and sages. I began taking on more mitzvoth with the realization that I would probably never be "Orthodox" in my level of observance, but that I could never go back to being a fully assimilated Jew.
Today, as Israel's existence is threatened and Jews the world over are fighting a Nazi-like Islamo/Leftist scourge, my day starts with learning the latest "Jewish news" and sharing it as widely as possible. I share anything that I think will help our people gain legitimate allies. I use my 20 years of experience studying local and global politics from a Jewish Zionist's prospective to help Jewish liberals shed their illusions and false friends while hanging on to their dream for a peaceful world.
Yes, a mezuzah is visible on my door frame. Yes, I wear a gold chai around my neck. I also have a Star of David keychain hooked to the outside zipper pocket of my shoulder bag. On Chanukkah, an electric menorah shines brightly from my window. And, I recently wrote to the owners of a shopping mall in our Jewish neighborhood in Montreal, Canada - asking them to stop running the anti-Semitic CNN news network on the televisions throughout the mall. Still haven't received an answer to my request but I’m not giving up!
This is not how I expected to be spending my golden years. But I am filled with purpose; not fear. May the New Year bring a sense of purpose and unity to my fellow Jews. May we carve a new future for ourselves – for Israel. Proud, strong, determined and free. With Torah as our blueprint to drive away the darkness and bring the Redemption.
Really great topic (and I appreciate your succinctness). Oct. 7 changed -- me.
First: it made me realize that we Jews, who have suffered through much of history, always bury our dead, find a new home, start all over again, and figure out how to contribute -- often more than most anyone else. This has caused me to leave some of my left-leaning ideals behind. I find myself thinking, "Nothing's perfect but it's pretty darn good; stop grousing, pick yourself up and make it happen."
Second: I no longer give a penny to any organization without first investigating their stance on Israel. So long Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU, and Amnesty International. Instead, I contribute to AIPAC, Birthright, and Magen David Adam. I even send those AIPAC emails to my representatives. I no longer admire Michelle Obama, AOC, Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein. Anyone who still needs to can darn well fight for their rights without me. Trust is gone.
Third: I read a lot of pro-Israel blogs like this one, and I watch a lot of YouTube podcasts from the US, UK and Israel that keep me informed and educated.
Fourth: I had a new thought today after listening to Bari Weiss interview Douglas Murray. There are many theories about why there is anti-semitism. But what if a big one is simply that the Jews bear witness to history, at least Western history.
We bear witness to all that is good and certainly all that is not, because we’ve been around longer than any other civilization (not including the Chinese and Indus, which is one reason why I say the West).
It’s as if the Jew holds up a mirror to history, and by history I suppose I mean humanity. Maybe this is why I don’t want to ever give up being a Jew. I don’t want to give up bearing witness. It feels important and necessary and enriching; it is the scenery in front of which I hear every song, watch every play, view every painting, and read every novel — and therefore it is meaningful and worthwhile.
And there are so many of them; so many sheep who follow the staff of their "leader" and an ideology that has little merit ... regarding humanity and intellectual process. There well may be terrible times ahead, but not only will Jews suffer. I venture to add that several people will wax nostalgic about the "good ol' days" .... Jews, as before, will return to the world via discovery, talent, science etc. And when the world is in dire need of "Jewish skills", Jews will be called on to come close to the fire once more. Only this time, we will prove smarter and wiser .... no more cheeks to turn.
Bravo, Nachum. You have encapsulated my own beliefs about where we find ourselves and what we should be doing about it. Who knew that our activist days were not behind us!
Antisemitism is a very popular intellectual sport for the intellectually lazy, incompetent and morally bankrupt! Therefore, it is virtually impossible to change their mind, as doing so would require of them a competent use of logic -the very last thing they want to engage in! But, they are relatively silenced by exposing their vicked (i)logic, by manipulating their mown words into shaming them! For example: I once had a coworker that would endlessly rant about blacks, insisting that they were all lazy and useless. One day I had enough! So, in my department had 26 workers, 1/3 Polish, 1/3 Ukrainian and 1/3 Filipinos. With that in mind, knowing that he couldn't get along well with just about anyone, I asked him about his opinion on 10 white guys that he didn't like, and he called them all white trash! Then I asked his opinion on 1 black guy, knowing that he liked him, and he said that he was a good guy and friend! Then came the "Joker Card": "Ok, now explain to me that you said all blacks were lazy and useless, yet you called %100 white guys white trash, and %100m black guys good guys! Now, tell me again: Which one is it? %100 white guys are white trash, and %100 black guys are nice guys! Again: Which one is it? Needless to say that I never heard him rant about black guys, nor did he ever talk to me again! Might as well, he? Hahaha...
Nachum, I am going to use this comment to you as a template and send it to anyone that may have some influence to initiate what I see are the two components to a necessary response to anti semitism.
1. The Military Response - all Jewish schools and Yeshivas should be offering a required self defense course that students need to pass in order to graduate. Once a student completes the course he/she should be able to handle themselves when physically challenged.
In addition, all these large Jewish organizations who constantly beg for money and do relatively nothing should be offering this course to all non-students, the elderly etc. They should be FREE OF CHARGE and come out of public donations.
2. The Narrative Response - All articles, news stories, opinion pieces on antisemitism should have a CALL TO ACTION. Something that the reader can do to fight whatever antisemitic incident happened. An email address to send a complaint, the name of the individual, the company, whatever .... they should all have a method of contact. Sometimes it can be as simple as writing an email to your local Mayor or elected official but always either an email or a phone number. I have read countless articles on anti semitic acts without a call to action. The writer or journalist should not expect the reader to look it up for themselves. People are lazy and we need to make the process as simple as possible.
Reclaiming Jewish Heritage - I dont really think there needs to be too much done in that area. The anti semitic hatred is enuf of an impetus for reclaiming Jewish Heritage. Look at how all of us are more involved in things Jewish after Oct 7th. We seem to be reclaiming in our sleep.
Papa j
Amen, agree on both points: gearing up and speaking up. And as you so well wrapped up, Oct 7, 2023 changed all of us. If we wobbled on our Jewish life before, this war brought us home.
Thank you, Nachum. We bounce back daily, get busy, laud the victories of IDF, Israel, scorn western media lies, etc., all of this but something huge shifted under our Jewish feet wherever we are on earth, October 7, 2023. The resultant spew of antisemitism, of Jew hatred, can not be appeased. Ever again. Shana Tova and Shavu Shalom Yerushalyim.
I was raised as a High Holidays/Passover Jew. I went to Hebrew school a couple of afternoons a week as a child (for a short time) and barely learned the alphabet, much less what Judaism was. My first husband was not Jewish and my early adult years were spent in full "assimilation mode". I never hid my Jewishness but I didn't dwell on it either. In those days, Israel was seen as heroic in the eyes of the Western media. I rarely experienced any anti-Semitism, and when I did I figured the person was just an idiot or a misfit. I didn't think that he or she represented a threat.
Twenty years ago, thanks to the Chabad, I began studying Judaism. This coincided with my changing political views and I appreciated the brilliance of our scriptures and sages. I began taking on more mitzvoth with the realization that I would probably never be "Orthodox" in my level of observance, but that I could never go back to being a fully assimilated Jew.
Today, as Israel's existence is threatened and Jews the world over are fighting a Nazi-like Islamo/Leftist scourge, my day starts with learning the latest "Jewish news" and sharing it as widely as possible. I share anything that I think will help our people gain legitimate allies. I use my 20 years of experience studying local and global politics from a Jewish Zionist's prospective to help Jewish liberals shed their illusions and false friends while hanging on to their dream for a peaceful world.
Yes, a mezuzah is visible on my door frame. Yes, I wear a gold chai around my neck. I also have a Star of David keychain hooked to the outside zipper pocket of my shoulder bag. On Chanukkah, an electric menorah shines brightly from my window. And, I recently wrote to the owners of a shopping mall in our Jewish neighborhood in Montreal, Canada - asking them to stop running the anti-Semitic CNN news network on the televisions throughout the mall. Still haven't received an answer to my request but I’m not giving up!
This is not how I expected to be spending my golden years. But I am filled with purpose; not fear. May the New Year bring a sense of purpose and unity to my fellow Jews. May we carve a new future for ourselves – for Israel. Proud, strong, determined and free. With Torah as our blueprint to drive away the darkness and bring the Redemption.
Thanks for sharing your backstory, Susan. Nice having you in our corner!
Really great topic (and I appreciate your succinctness). Oct. 7 changed -- me.
First: it made me realize that we Jews, who have suffered through much of history, always bury our dead, find a new home, start all over again, and figure out how to contribute -- often more than most anyone else. This has caused me to leave some of my left-leaning ideals behind. I find myself thinking, "Nothing's perfect but it's pretty darn good; stop grousing, pick yourself up and make it happen."
Second: I no longer give a penny to any organization without first investigating their stance on Israel. So long Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU, and Amnesty International. Instead, I contribute to AIPAC, Birthright, and Magen David Adam. I even send those AIPAC emails to my representatives. I no longer admire Michelle Obama, AOC, Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein. Anyone who still needs to can darn well fight for their rights without me. Trust is gone.
Third: I read a lot of pro-Israel blogs like this one, and I watch a lot of YouTube podcasts from the US, UK and Israel that keep me informed and educated.
Fourth: I had a new thought today after listening to Bari Weiss interview Douglas Murray. There are many theories about why there is anti-semitism. But what if a big one is simply that the Jews bear witness to history, at least Western history.
We bear witness to all that is good and certainly all that is not, because we’ve been around longer than any other civilization (not including the Chinese and Indus, which is one reason why I say the West).
It’s as if the Jew holds up a mirror to history, and by history I suppose I mean humanity. Maybe this is why I don’t want to ever give up being a Jew. I don’t want to give up bearing witness. It feels important and necessary and enriching; it is the scenery in front of which I hear every song, watch every play, view every painting, and read every novel — and therefore it is meaningful and worthwhile.
And there are so many of them; so many sheep who follow the staff of their "leader" and an ideology that has little merit ... regarding humanity and intellectual process. There well may be terrible times ahead, but not only will Jews suffer. I venture to add that several people will wax nostalgic about the "good ol' days" .... Jews, as before, will return to the world via discovery, talent, science etc. And when the world is in dire need of "Jewish skills", Jews will be called on to come close to the fire once more. Only this time, we will prove smarter and wiser .... no more cheeks to turn.
Bravo, Nachum. You have encapsulated my own beliefs about where we find ourselves and what we should be doing about it. Who knew that our activist days were not behind us!
Excellent article.
Antisemitism is a very popular intellectual sport for the intellectually lazy, incompetent and morally bankrupt! Therefore, it is virtually impossible to change their mind, as doing so would require of them a competent use of logic -the very last thing they want to engage in! But, they are relatively silenced by exposing their vicked (i)logic, by manipulating their mown words into shaming them! For example: I once had a coworker that would endlessly rant about blacks, insisting that they were all lazy and useless. One day I had enough! So, in my department had 26 workers, 1/3 Polish, 1/3 Ukrainian and 1/3 Filipinos. With that in mind, knowing that he couldn't get along well with just about anyone, I asked him about his opinion on 10 white guys that he didn't like, and he called them all white trash! Then I asked his opinion on 1 black guy, knowing that he liked him, and he said that he was a good guy and friend! Then came the "Joker Card": "Ok, now explain to me that you said all blacks were lazy and useless, yet you called %100 white guys white trash, and %100m black guys good guys! Now, tell me again: Which one is it? %100 white guys are white trash, and %100 black guys are nice guys! Again: Which one is it? Needless to say that I never heard him rant about black guys, nor did he ever talk to me again! Might as well, he? Hahaha...
Great article! I will make my comments later after my weight training class!! Robbin
don't forget that still you have respect and love from some non jews like me. Jewish culture and people is the one I admire the most.