This has been such a painful 15-months and counting for world Jewry. There are no elegant words to disguise the ugly reality that confronts us. Two weeks ago, I offered the following message on Shabbat morning, and I’m sharing it here as well. I am always happy to receive feedback.
On different days and in different ways, we have felt fear, despair, frustration, anger, and sadness. It’s also been a sobering wakeup call from the naivete of hoping that our world — and even our local community — was close to putting Jew hatred fully in the history books.
Remarkably, we have found and used every bit of resilience to push back against this wave of intolerance. Jewish communities and individuals have found different ways to push back… the sale of Magen David (Star of David) necklaces has spiked over this past year. It might seem like a small gesture to put on a Star of David necklace for the first time in one’s life, and to then wear it proudly (on the train into Manhattan, for instance), but no — it is an act of bravery, an act of pride, an act of defiance. It’s even an act of achdut, oneness, becoming allies of Orthodox Jews who regularly wear identifiable dress codes.
Our synagogue community has also been dialed in and fully engaged. Here are just a few examples from a very extensive list:
We’ve welcomed numerous guest speakers on Shabbat mornings who have reinforced the urgency of this moment; we were there when an outside group attended the Millburn Board of Education meeting threatening to present an anti-Israel resolution, and we shut that down, full stop; we lobbied the Township to reverse its decision to screen an anti-Israel film at the Bauer Center, and we were successful; we filled a bus to Washington, DC last November for a march on the Capitol; we’ve strengthened our rapport with the Millburn police department; we demanded accountability when incidents arose at the Middle School, we’ve traveled to Israel, we’ve made donations, we’ve volunteered, we’ve spoken up.
Even though it’s exhausting and seemingly never-ending, we have shown that we are ready to push back when needed.
But it is also important to recognize that there are different opinions as to the best approach to pushing back. Last month’s response to the Green Door Studio on Millburn Avenue highlights the divergence of opinion.
Green Door Studio has curated four or five pieces of art that are inflammatory and incendiary at best, and outright antisemitic at worst. Now, technically, no law has been broken. The art is inside the studio, it can barely be seen from the street, and it’s just one small studio in our robust town.
But my goodness, the art is utterly hurtful and calls for the abolishment of the State of Israel.
How to respond?
A demonstration was organized just before Thanksgiving.
Some felt compelled to save their energy for bigger fish and thus did not attend the demonstration. Others opted out because they felt that a demonstration could draw media attention, which would possibly give the studio free publicity and an even larger platform. Still others felt it important to push back against the Studio by joining to demonstrate at the precise time a class was to be in session at the studio, successfully cancelling the class (the message being: bigoted Jew hatred, no matter the scale or scope, will have its consequences).
Each response is understandable. I bet we have congregants here this morning who fall into each of the response categories I just laid out, and you are justified.
Today, I want to ask us to accept upon ourselves a quiet boycott of that business. Through your own Whatsapp and friend network, urge the people you know to avoid business transactions with the studio. Certainly, a quiet boycott could be as effective as a public gathering. So long as the studio is calling for the dismantling of the Jewish state (and what, exactly, would happen to the 7 million Jews there should the state be dismantled?), we are justified in a business boycott.
I also firmly believe in the value of nurturing key relationships and building allyship as a way to combat Jew hatred. Diplomacy and one-on-one discussions with business and elected officials in our township can be hugely effective, and I encourage everyone to expand your circle of sympathetic ears and allies.
A township without one Jew hater, without one bigot, without one misguided/misinformed anti-Israel activist probably doesn’t exist. But on balance, Millburn Township, to its credit, has mostly been a blessing and a shelter to the most egregious forms of Jew hatred out there. Not only has our beloved township successfully kept it out for the most part, but our township has also affirmed the place of Jewish residents here in the township, whether through the important proclamation last year, the rally in support of Israel, and a host of other gestures.
When a township protects and supports its minority Jewish community, that often also leads to measures that protect other minorities within the township. In other words, by focusing on acceptance and an embracing of one minority flexes the muscle to do so for others, and it’s a win-win for all.
Multi-cultural tolerance and openness is so critical. It’s a reminder of our shared humanity. In a sense, it helps us emerge from our individual bubbles to see the beauty in the other.
We can read this message into the story of Jacob’s ladder from today’s parasha. Jacob journeys — he’s fleeing, really. He’s out in the wilderness, exhausted, scared, alone. He lies down to rest and begins to dream. In his dream, he sees a ladder, anchored in the ground, extending all the way up to the heavens. And on it, angels of God, ascending and descending. The sages point out — ascending first?
When we ascend, we get out of our own bubble and we can see, with far more clarity, that all of humanity shares a common destiny, struggles with similar obstacles, finds happiness in similar joys. When we’re standing at the Millburn station waiting for the delayed train, we might forget that there are hundreds of others delayed because of that very train as well. From ascending the ladder, from up above, not only are we reminded of our commonality, but the small problems also seem less daunting.
And it is once we have ascended and can see the world in its vastness, that we can then bring that openness, tolerance, awe, and healing back down with us to our world and our communities. Maybe that’s what happens when we pursue interfaith work, create alliances and better awareness. We recognize that there is so much we don’t know, and that their fears are our fears.
Our township is working hard to create conditions that allow every minority to flourish safely. We must remain active, with fingers on the pulse, holding our leaders’ accountability, and also offering hakarat ha’tov, recognition for the basic tenets established in our community that have, for instance, allowed our flag of Israel outside this building to remain intact, not vandalized, for a year and counting.
Rabbi Ari Isenberg
