I am not a Jew. That said, I have seven Jewish friends to whom I am close. Three in Israel. And four in London. I wish to say that I see your immense struggle, a struggle that has gone on for millennia. I see you. And I hear you. And I support you.
Thank you, Mital for this intelligent and articulate article.
Rob Hamer, London-based musician, actor, poet, writer general nutcase and football fan.
I have a friend who is in the closet. Apparently it’s no fun in there. After October 7 I started wearing a chai necklace. I want to be known as a Jew. Am Israel chai
As you note, each of us needs to figure out how to be Jewish in this moment. But the question or test is not only about identity, it's about morality. As you note each week, the lessons of the Torah are specific and general, leading us to think about ourselves and our lives. This moment is about me, the Jewish person, but it's also about me, a person who shudders at the thought of being put into a ghetto of any kind. As much as things are the same with antisemitism, it feels different too. We are not cowering. Our strength is recognizing that we have pride, past, present, future.
Jacob didn’t leave his encounter with Esau diminished: he successfully protected himself and his family.
Famously, before their encounter, Jacob said “protect me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.” Many ask what Jacob meant by the double reference, my brother, Esau. Many commentators respond that Jacob feared Esau when he approach him “like” a brother, and he feared Esau when he behaved like he actually was, a barbaric enemy.
Jacob mentioned “like a brother” first because this is the more dangerous entity: someone enticing and worthy of imitation. The second entity, as an enemy, was obviously something to avoid, to resist and to fight.
These days, we know our obvious enemy: they attack with horrible bloodlust. We have risen to the call, and we are fighting back. The not so obvious enemy, the so called ‘civilization’ we live in, is the more deadly, the more threatening because we hardly notice when we take on its ethics and morals.
After the meeting with Esau, Jacob left with his family unscathed. He refused the offer of Esau to travel along with him. He kept himself and his family separate. This is the great lesson to be learned here: to maintain our stature, we must maintain our separateness!
Yes! Chanukah was our battle for our purity of thought, practice, of our Yiddishkeit against a powerful culture that thought it was superior to any ethic devised! Those who survived protected themselves from their attempt to overwhelm us in our practices, our observances, and our own traditions. Only by our belief in Hashem was this possible!
As has been famously said by many, Purim was when we were saved physically, when they wanted our actual removal from this world.
Both are depicted prophetically in my first comments - said by our Holy teachers throughout the ages!
Sharp and pointed and honest. What I've come to expect from you and you've delivered. When we were in Vermont last summer we engaged two small groups of anti Israel protesters. Bennington and Manchester. What did they have to complain about, right? Life in Vermont is good. Then the next door neighbor we had in our rented cottage was a Jewish guy from New Jersey transplanted to Vermont. Big Israeli flash in his window and IDF sticker on his front door. It feels so different here in Jerusalem. So sorry about the bad stuff in the USA.
Thank you, Alan. With all of our challenges here, I am humbled when I think about the reality of living in war and fighting war in Israel. Warm regards from NY to Jerusalem!
I will argue that because of our collective history, shame runs deep for each Jew no matter where we live, no matter how courageous we are to live as proud Jews. It is striking how Jacob's intense fear is reflected in the cantillation of the words "and Jacob was fearful" when he heard about Esau's armies approaching. The darga t'veer literally shake. Shaking with fear is truly the beginning of courage, connected to courage.
Wrestling with G-d transformed Jacob's shame and ended his ambivalence about his chosen path to continue to wrestle, to face what confronted him, which meant making peace with his brother but choosing a separate path nevertheless. But he made peace through courageously addressing his past. October 7th forced or enabled many of us in the US to reexamine our collective Jewish history and it is fascinating to listen to the more recent Wondering Jews episodes to hear the head of the AJC and the rabbi of the UAE share their differing but vibrant responses.
The same way Jew Hatred cannot be measured, neither can Jewish pride or courage. Data is valuable but today we are obsessed with measurable results. Eilu D'varim sh'ein lahem shiur. We know Judaism understands the most important work cannot ultimately be measured. Yes, it is important to reflect on our approach and whether it's working. And asking if interfaith work is still relevant after October 7th given investments made especially since the Holocaust. I argue that within a historical perspective we have just begun this work. As a matter of fact we haven't even started because in the US in some crucial ways in the rush to assimilation we have neglected it, the real ground zero work. We can be true to our Jewish family and collaborate with those different than us. We not only can, we must.
There are so many enriching ways to forge paths ahead as wrestling Jews. You have pinpointed beautifully here how Jacob's journey and choices make way for each of us.
So interesting and profound, Amy. I am struck by the way you bring in shame and your challenge to how we think about Jewish pride, interfaith work and much more. Much to wrestle with -
I am not a Jew. That said, I have seven Jewish friends to whom I am close. Three in Israel. And four in London. I wish to say that I see your immense struggle, a struggle that has gone on for millennia. I see you. And I hear you. And I support you.
Thank you, Mital for this intelligent and articulate article.
Rob Hamer, London-based musician, actor, poet, writer general nutcase and football fan.
Thank you so much, Rob—your message means the world to me.
I have a friend who is in the closet. Apparently it’s no fun in there. After October 7 I started wearing a chai necklace. I want to be known as a Jew. Am Israel chai
As you note, each of us needs to figure out how to be Jewish in this moment. But the question or test is not only about identity, it's about morality. As you note each week, the lessons of the Torah are specific and general, leading us to think about ourselves and our lives. This moment is about me, the Jewish person, but it's also about me, a person who shudders at the thought of being put into a ghetto of any kind. As much as things are the same with antisemitism, it feels different too. We are not cowering. Our strength is recognizing that we have pride, past, present, future.
Love this - " As much as things are the same with antisemitism, it feels different too. We are not cowering. "
Jacob didn’t leave his encounter with Esau diminished: he successfully protected himself and his family.
Famously, before their encounter, Jacob said “protect me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.” Many ask what Jacob meant by the double reference, my brother, Esau. Many commentators respond that Jacob feared Esau when he approach him “like” a brother, and he feared Esau when he behaved like he actually was, a barbaric enemy.
Jacob mentioned “like a brother” first because this is the more dangerous entity: someone enticing and worthy of imitation. The second entity, as an enemy, was obviously something to avoid, to resist and to fight.
These days, we know our obvious enemy: they attack with horrible bloodlust. We have risen to the call, and we are fighting back. The not so obvious enemy, the so called ‘civilization’ we live in, is the more deadly, the more threatening because we hardly notice when we take on its ethics and morals.
After the meeting with Esau, Jacob left with his family unscathed. He refused the offer of Esau to travel along with him. He kept himself and his family separate. This is the great lesson to be learned here: to maintain our stature, we must maintain our separateness!
I like how you are separating the two great battles we have to face! Great Torah for Hannukah -
Yes! Chanukah was our battle for our purity of thought, practice, of our Yiddishkeit against a powerful culture that thought it was superior to any ethic devised! Those who survived protected themselves from their attempt to overwhelm us in our practices, our observances, and our own traditions. Only by our belief in Hashem was this possible!
As has been famously said by many, Purim was when we were saved physically, when they wanted our actual removal from this world.
Both are depicted prophetically in my first comments - said by our Holy teachers throughout the ages!
Sharp and pointed and honest. What I've come to expect from you and you've delivered. When we were in Vermont last summer we engaged two small groups of anti Israel protesters. Bennington and Manchester. What did they have to complain about, right? Life in Vermont is good. Then the next door neighbor we had in our rented cottage was a Jewish guy from New Jersey transplanted to Vermont. Big Israeli flash in his window and IDF sticker on his front door. It feels so different here in Jerusalem. So sorry about the bad stuff in the USA.
Thank you, Alan. With all of our challenges here, I am humbled when I think about the reality of living in war and fighting war in Israel. Warm regards from NY to Jerusalem!
I will argue that because of our collective history, shame runs deep for each Jew no matter where we live, no matter how courageous we are to live as proud Jews. It is striking how Jacob's intense fear is reflected in the cantillation of the words "and Jacob was fearful" when he heard about Esau's armies approaching. The darga t'veer literally shake. Shaking with fear is truly the beginning of courage, connected to courage.
Wrestling with G-d transformed Jacob's shame and ended his ambivalence about his chosen path to continue to wrestle, to face what confronted him, which meant making peace with his brother but choosing a separate path nevertheless. But he made peace through courageously addressing his past. October 7th forced or enabled many of us in the US to reexamine our collective Jewish history and it is fascinating to listen to the more recent Wondering Jews episodes to hear the head of the AJC and the rabbi of the UAE share their differing but vibrant responses.
The same way Jew Hatred cannot be measured, neither can Jewish pride or courage. Data is valuable but today we are obsessed with measurable results. Eilu D'varim sh'ein lahem shiur. We know Judaism understands the most important work cannot ultimately be measured. Yes, it is important to reflect on our approach and whether it's working. And asking if interfaith work is still relevant after October 7th given investments made especially since the Holocaust. I argue that within a historical perspective we have just begun this work. As a matter of fact we haven't even started because in the US in some crucial ways in the rush to assimilation we have neglected it, the real ground zero work. We can be true to our Jewish family and collaborate with those different than us. We not only can, we must.
There are so many enriching ways to forge paths ahead as wrestling Jews. You have pinpointed beautifully here how Jacob's journey and choices make way for each of us.
So interesting and profound, Amy. I am struck by the way you bring in shame and your challenge to how we think about Jewish pride, interfaith work and much more. Much to wrestle with -
Thank you for providing the kinds of insights which makes thus a thoughtful space to wrestle!