Thoughts on Antisemitism

We are all aware of the tremendous rise in antisemitism in this country and around the world since the unprovoked attack on Israel's civilian population on October 7, 2023.  Hamas terrorists murdered nearly 1200 people in Israel: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and others, young and old, including citizens of many countries other than Israel who happened to be visiting or working in the Jewish state.  Women were sexually assaulted and many raped and then murdered. Houses, businesses, fields were burned and destroyed.  Over a year and a half later, countless Israelis continue to deal with the trauma and loss of that day and we still await the return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas and its associates.  

While many people were quick to condemn this attack in no uncertain terms, by October 8, we were witness to a well-financed propaganda campaign by Hamas and its Iranian sponsors to completely reverse the narrative and blame the victims for the attack.  Large scale demonstrations in favor of Hamas and denouncing not simply Israel, but Jews in general were mounted all over the country and, in particular, on college campuses. While the Biden administration and a majority of Americans continued to support Israel, its right not only to exist but to defend itself, the campaign to delegitimize the state, to attack “Zionists” (now a code word for Jews), and to exaggerate and promote false narratives about the ensuing Israeli response grew particularly on college campuses around the country.  First amendment rights to free expression went far beyond the legal limits. Various groups associated with terrorist organizations were terrorizing and attacking Jewish students, vandalizing property, and promoting social media attacks as well.  Many university administrations failed to intervene and to protect their Jewish students, uncertain how to balance the right to free speech with their responsibility to provide a safe learning environment. It is indeed possible to disagree with policies of the current Israeli government and to feel sympathetic to the plight of innocents caught in a war where they have been exploited by their own leaders.  Too many people have suffered the consequences of a terrorist regime which has never sought a peaceful resolution of problems, but only the destruction of the Israeli state and of the Jewish people in general.

The current administration has a mixed record regarding antisemitism.  Too many of its supporters and many of those serving in various offices of government are associated with antisemitic groups or have expressed views inimical to the Jewish people.  The letter which follows, published in the Chicago Tribune on April 22, signed by over 100 rabbis from the Greater Chicago area, expresses our concern that the administration is cynically using the fight against antisemitism as an excuse to further policies which in fact hurt Jewish people and the rights of Americans in general. Yes, the response to hatred and violence against Jews and Jewish institutions must stop, but defunding programs which benefit us all, ignoring basic rights and the rule of law in the treatment of our neighbors, will not accomplish that, but might in fact lead to even greater hatred and blaming of Jews for the ills of society created by these ill-conceived plans and executive orders. It is in that spirit that we published the following open letter:

100+ Chicagoland Jewish clergy stand against attacks on democracy being carried out in the name of Jewish safety

This letter appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, April 22nd.

We are Jewish leaders and clergy from across the Chicagoland area. The congregations we serve and communities we support are politically, racially, and economically diverse, and represent multiple denominations of Jewish practice. We write this letter with a unified voice to stand against the attacks on civil liberties and democratic norms being carried out in the name of combating antisemitism.

In recent weeks, students and others, many with legal status, have been detained or had their visas revoked without explanation or due process, including at the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, and Northwestern University. Federal funds for higher education have been frozen or withdrawn, including $790 million at Northwestern. The administration has also announced plans to surveil immigrants’ social media.

Many of these actions have been presented as in defense of the Jewish community. Yet in truth, Jewish fear is being used as a fig leaf for an anti-democratic agenda of mass deportations, civil rights rollbacks, and attacks on higher education.

We know that many Jews, including Jewish students on campuses, have felt unsafe in recent months and years. We take those concerns seriously. And we know that throughout history, Jews have been safest in multiracial democracies where the rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or political opinion, are protected.

Education is a core Jewish value, and the institutions that uphold civil liberties and democratic norms have long been essential to Jewish safety and flourishing. As Jewish leaders, we reject the exploitation of our fears and experiences of antisemitism to justify the dismantling of those institutions. Such actions do not protect our community — they use us, and they put us in danger.

We recently celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover. Each year, we recall the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt and pray for redemption from all forms of violence. We are commanded to retell our stories of persecution and deliverance "in every generation," reminding us that our story remains relevant at all times, including today.

In the Passover story, it is an erev rav—a mixed multitude—who journeyed together out of Egypt. We are obligated not only to seek justice for ourselves, but to protect the rights and freedoms afforded to all people. We must speak out against deportations without due process, suppression of free speech, attacks on higher education, and the dismantling of democratic norms. Doing so is an expression of our Jewish and American values.

Signatories:

Rabbi Donielle C. Aaron

Cantor Laurie Akers

Rabbi Max Antman

Rabbi Ilana Axel

Rabbi Marc J. Belgrad

Rabbi Lisa Sari Bellows 

Rabbi Rebecca Benoff

Marla Aviva Bentley, RJE

Cantor David Berger

Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein

Rabbi Brandon Bernstein

Rabbi Andrew Bossov

Rabbi Neil Brill

Rabbi Anna Calamaro

Rabbi Adam Chalom

Rabbi Sandra Charak

Rabbi Paul F. Cohen

Rabbi Shoshanah Conover

Rabbi Andrea Cosnowsky

Rabbi Reni Dickman

Cantor Michelle Drucker Friedman

Rabbi David Eber

Rabbi Laurence Edwards

Rabbi Bruce Elder

Rabbi Josh Feigelson, PhD

Rabbi Robert Feinberg

Rabbi Edward M. Friedman

Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein

Rabbi Capers Funnye

Rabbi Capers C. Funnye III

Rabbi Roy Furman

Rabbi Scott Gellman

Rabbi Dr. Rivkah Glick

Rabbi Lily Goldstein

Rabbi Maralee Gordon

Rabbi Sam Gordon

Rabbi Amanda Greene

Rabbi Lisa S. Greene

Rabbi Suzanne Griffel

Rabbi Steve Hart

Rabbi Rachel Heaps

Rabbi Sidney Helbraun

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann

Rabbi Brian Immerman

Rabbi Rachel Kaplan Marks

Rabbi Allan Kensky

Rabbi Daniel Kirzane

Rabbi Norman Klein

Rabbi Elinor Knepler

Cantor David Landau Mohel

Rabbi Benay Lappe

Rabbi Jacob Leizman

Rabbi Miriam Lichtenberg

Rabbi Howard Lifshitz

Rabbi Seth M. Limmer

Cantor Erica Lippitz

Rabbi Andrea London

Cantor Jan Mahler

Rabbi Toby Manewith

Rabbi Ari Margolis

Cantor Andrea Rae Markowicz

Cantor Matan Meital

Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva

Rabbi Yocheved Mintz

Rabbi Victor Mirelman

Rabbi Nina J. Mizrahi

Rabbi Evan Moffic

Rabbi Josh Nelson

Rabbi Anne Persin

Rabbi Steven Peskind

Rabbi Steven Philp

Rabbi Taylor A. Poslosky

Rabbi Jonathan Posner

Rabbi Jonah Rank

Rabbi Frederick Reeves

Rabbi Sarah Rosenbaum Jones

Rabbi David Rosenberg

Cantor Rachel Rosenberg

Cantor Dara Rosenblatt

Rabbi Donald B. Rossoff

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

Rabbi Isaac Serotta

Cantor Scott Simon

Rabbi Anita Silvert

Rabbi Michael Sommer

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer

Rabbi Eleanor Smith

Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein

Rabbi Michelle Stern

Rabbi Marla Joy Subeck Spanjer

Rabbi Allison Tick Brill

Cantor Jessica Tobacman

Rabbi Jessie Wainer

Rabbi Moshe Webber

Rabbi Michael A. Weinberg

Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus

Rabbi Max Weiss

Rabbi Rachel Weiss

Rabbi Zachary Wiener

Rabbi David N. Young

Cantor Natalie Young

Cantor Julie Yugend-Green

Rabbi Michael Zedek

Rabbi Leonard Zukrow