Are Recent Antisemitic Incidents a Blip or the Norm in America?
By K’vod Wieder, Rabbi, Temple Beth El of South Orange County, and Emily Yaffe, Operations Manager, Southwest National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY)
This article was published in collaboration with the One America Movement through the support of A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy.
Jewish Acceptance in the U.S. Is Conditional
By K’vod Wieder – Rabbi, Temple Beth El of South Orange County
Growing up in the 1980s in Orange County, California, I learned from an early age that I was accepted as a Jew as long as I didn’t express my differences too prominently. When I was in 5th grade and other children asked me what I got for Christmas, I remember feeling the room turn cold when I told them that I celebrated Hanukkah. My acceptance as a Jew was conditional–as long as I didn’t show my differences too much, I could have the same opportunities as everyone else.
U.S. and Global Politics Are Amplifying Antisemitism That Has Always Existed
Since the 1980s, I’ve grown deeply into my Jewish identity, and Jewish life in Orange County has flourished. While I have never been aware of being denied opportunities because I was Jewish, the more emboldened expression of public antisemitic hate speech and violence since 2016, seen in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, the synagogue massacres in Pittsburgh and Poway, and other murders, has shown me that antisemitism was always present, and Jewish safety in the U.S. is not guaranteed.
Since the October 7th, 2023 massacre of Israelis, Jews have been denied jobs, cut out of social circles, and verbally and physically harassed if they expressed support for the existence of the state of Israel. The pro-Palestinian cause has extended beyond the desire for a cease-fire or an end to Palestinian suffering in the war, and instead labels Israel as genocidal oppressors and calls for the end of the Zionist state. For the majority of Jews all over the world, myself included, Zionism is simply about the right to self-sovereignty in our ancestral land as a Jewish, democratic nation. Israel’s Declaration of Independence calls for the nation to “ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture.”
The existence of the state of Israel does not preclude the possibility of Palestinian sovereignty side by side with Israel. And yet, the hateful rhetoric and violence toward Jews in the U.S. does not acknowledge the authenticity of the Jewish connection and its claim to the land.
Not Just a Religion, but a Primordial Birthright
Judaism is not just a religion. We are a people, a tribe whose connection to the land of Israel is integral to our identity. In our sacred texts and communities for thousands of years, we have yearned to return to the land after being exiled from so many other places. The incredible part of our story is that following the darkest time of the Holocaust, this thousands-year-old yearning was fulfilled when the United Nations recognized the state of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.
To deny the Jewish people our land and our story is to deny our very identity, which is just the latest iteration of antisemitism. When people on college campuses, city councils, social media, social circles, and work environments say, “Our acceptance of you as a Jew is conditional–we will only accept you if you deny your connection and claim to your ancestral homeland,” we are experiencing antisemitism and, as long as this trend continues, we are not living in a safe haven.
The Response to Antisemitism Is More Important than the Cause
By Emily Yaffe – Operations Manager, Southwest National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY)
America can still be a safe haven for Jews, despite the post-October 7th rise in antisemitic incidents. How people react to the incidents will determine the future of the Jewish-American experience. There are three ways to respond to antisemitic incidents:
- Justify and support the incidents.
- Denounce the incidents as hate crimes against an oppressed minority.
- Denounce the incidents as criminal and immoral.
The first option is dangerous for Jews and others, as hatred against Jews often leads to violence against others. Attacks on Jews have been justified by labeling Jews as part of a “white oppressor” class. This warped worldview of moral relativism says that the historically oppressed have a right to express rage against their oppressors by whatever means necessary.
Categorizing Jews as oppressed is scarcely better than labeling them oppressors. Though a short-term salve, it is ultimately disastrous as it perpetuates a dangerous balkanization process threatening to destroy the American experiment. Many well-intentioned Jews argue that antisemitism and antizionism are wrong because Jews themselves have historically been victims of oppression. Others point to Jews’ indigeneity in Israel to align them with the struggles of other indigenous folks. While this helps to rack up sympathy points, it does not make the long-lasting point necessary to preserve America as a haven for Jews. Only the denunciation of antisemitism as an attack on decency and morality spells hope for the American-Jewish experience–and America overall.
The U.S. Will Continue to Be a Jewish Haven
Antisemitism isn’t wrong because of who Jews are; antisemitism is wrong because hatred against a group of people is wrong. The ideal of applying the same moral standard to all peoples, regardless of creed, race, or any other identifier, is what makes America unique and great. That ideal, along with America’s other founding values, are known as Judeo-Christian values. The “Judeo” part often gets lost, but each of the values that make America unique is founded in the Torah:
- The verse “You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly.” (Leviticus 19:15) promotes the value of equality before the law.
- “Justice, justice shall you pursue…” (Deuteronomy 16:20)
- Abraham and Moses both argue with God, setting the groundwork for the importance of freedom of speech.
- The commandments against theft and coveting recognize the morality of private property.
- The Exodus narrative is a polemic against slavery and in favor of group and individual liberty.
Perhaps, I’m an optimist. But I believe this disturbing increase in antisemitic sentiment will be but a blip in our national history. I am not willing to write off America as a haven because I believe strongly in the greatness of the Biblical values at her core. It will take time and work to remind everyone of the rightness of these values, but if universally adopted, there will be no better place on earth.
We Cannot Be Passive in the Fight Against Antisemitism
By K’vod Wieder – Rabbi, Temple Beth El of South Orange County
Ms. Yaffe makes several important points regarding the pitfalls of identity politics and of defining justice through the lens of the “oppressor” and “oppressed.” I agree that this view does not help to build a world with dignity and respect for all people. One consequence of using the oppressor and oppressed worldview is that Jews can be labeled as part of the “white oppressor class” with Israel being viewed as the oppressor of the Palestinian people. This has been used to justify the mistreatment of Jews in America.
However, I don’t believe that antisemitism will just be a “blip in our national history” if we sit idly waiting for it to pass. We need to come together as Americans to address the hate that is present in our nation. Our democracy is indeed founded on Biblical values, and one of the many qualities that has made our country great is the celebration of our diversity.
But I believe that democracy is in danger because perceiving truth is in danger. People increasingly rely on the internet for news with algorithms funneling people into online echo chambers providing particular narratives and “alternative facts” of day’s events. Without having a public square where people of diverse opinions and perspectives can come together to broaden their perspectives and learn about each other, we will become increasingly more divided and hate will flourish.
Antisemitism Should Concern Any Decent Person
By Emily Yaffe – Operations Manager, Southwest National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY)
There is seemingly nothing about Rabbi Wieder’s perspective with which I disagree. I say seemingly because two clues indicate a slight difference in worldview. The first is Rabbi Wieder’s assertion that celebrating diversity has made America great. I won’t argue that point, but rather simply point out that the statement represents a particular political viewpoint.
The other indication of disagreement is in Rabbi Wieder’s initial comment about “more emboldened expression[s] of public antisemitic hate speech and violence since 2016,” implicitly referring to the election and presidency of Donald Trump. That could be the subject of a different discussion, but I disagree with the causal relationship he implies.
Rabbi Wieder also notes that increased time online has led to a decrease in interaction and understanding between people with different perspectives. Isn’t it interesting that this phenomenon is cited no matter what side or issue is being discussed? The left and right can equally point to the devastating effects of this problem.
More in Common than It Appears
However, Rabbi Wieder and I are completely in agreement when it comes to the issue at hand. We both think America can be a haven for Jews if Americans work together to live up to the Biblical values this country rests upon. Ultimately, this is all that matters. The spike in anti-Jewish hatred and violence should concern any decent person–left, right, Orthodox, Reform, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, etc. Just as any racism is an issue of right and wrong, so is this one. Where hatred originates is less important than how it is handled.
In the current election process, Republican Jews question Democrat Jews’ allegiance to Judaism and vice-versa. That should tell us something, which is that we are aligned in purpose, if not means. Since we are aligned in purpose, we should be able to remedy the situation. Perhaps our differences in viewpoints regarding the source and solution to antisemitism will allow us to confront the problem on many fronts instead of one. But, recognizing that we are aligned in purpose should teach us to listen to each other about what we perceive and, more importantly, focus our vitriol outward at the antisemites instead of at each other. If all Jews and decent people can be united in this way, the haters of the world do not stand a chance.
This article was published in collaboration with the One America Movement through the support of A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy. If you enjoyed this article, please make sure to like, comment, and share below. You can also read more of our Political Pen Pals debates here.
K'vod Wieder
K'vod Wieder has been the rabbi of Temple Beth El of South Orange County since 2011. He is particularly interested in meditation and spirituality, interfaith dialogue, and helping people reach greater mutual understanding when strong differences are present. He has training with the One America Movement and Resetting the Table in helping people overcome toxic polarization.
Emily Yaffe
Emily has previously written for The College Fix and currently writes on her Substack, The American Jew, where she explores Biblical solutions to modern-day problems. Emily graduated San Diego State University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts & English. Her work experience includes Jewish education, nonprofit theatre communications, and a magical year at Disneyland. Emily, her husband, and two kids are among the many recent migrants from California to Texas. She hopes to share the values she upholds in a way that inspires thoughtful conversation and leads to unity.
3 comments
Jewish acceptance is definitely conditional. My granddaughter, blond and green eyed, let other student know she was Jewish in high school. The result was a bunch of pennies thrown at her head, taunts about dirty Jews,and other antisemitic crap that her school was unwilling to deal with. This was 2020, in a large city in the southwest, a reasonably liberal city at that.
After Hamas attacked Israel, these attacks were suddenly socially acceptable as a political statement. The American left dropped Jews like a hot potato, and has had a strong hand in perpetuating antisemitism. This betrayal hurt. I felt personally betrayed by friends who conflated being Jewish with supporting Israel. The question was put “Are you a good Jew or a bad Jew?” because anyone supporting Israel in any way – even against the Israeli govt – was a bad Jew.
The right wing has used antisemitism as a cudgel, which is even more dangerous in the long run. Once they are out of office we can expect a large rebound of antisemitism.
Jew hatred is as American as racism.
42,000 killed Palestinians and a destroyed civilian population, subjected to designed starvation, but the issue at hand is silencing debate on the topic with cheap and manipulative slogans like ‘antisemitism’.
Conflating the legitimate horror and criticism directed at Israel’s disastrous and unprecedented actions in Gaza with antisemitism is the height of intellectual laziness and cowardice.
“Zionism is simply about the right to self-sovereignty in our ancestral land as a Jewish, democratic nation”. Except that “Jewish, democratic nation” is an oxymoron when that land is populated by another indigenous people who aren’t Jewish. You can either be a democratic nation or a Jewish one, but not both. And that’s the heart of this problem.
Talking about Zionism in abstractions like this is meaningless when the concrete reality of its realization today is wholescale oppression of Palestinians and denial of their liberty. Almost every human rights organization on the plant and even the ICJ are now using the word Apartheid.
There is a canyon of difference between antisemitism and legitimate debate and criticism of Israeli policies towards Palestinians. Dishonest attempts to conflate the two only serves to harm genuine discussion about both.
Thank you for your anonymous comment. Ironically, you have done exactly what you claim others do. You have made an article about anti-Semitism all about anti-Zionism. This article is not about Israel, it is about Jews in the U.S. Your comment is all about Israel/Palestine. Do you see the irony? Of course, as with all reflexive responses on Israel, no mention of historical anti-semitism and persecution nor an acceptance of modern day crimes (e.g. Oct 7, hostages in Gaza, etc.), which indeed is what this article is actually about.
Of course, to the reflexive anti-Israel haters, Jews are not indigenous to Israel, Jews are oppressors and not one of the most oppressed groups in history, and Jews are “silencing” debate with “cheap and manipulative” anti-semitism. Indeed, today Israel has become the world’s “Jew,” uniquely criticized, demonized, and vilified. If this is not anti-Semitism, then it sure rhymes!
Let me ask you plainly, do you believe anti-Semitism is a legitimate problem or not?