?In 1977, in Long
Beach, California, I met a saintly Lubavitcher chasid named Menachem Mendel Futerfas. Active at age 70, he was
fundraising for Kfar Chabad in Israel. He was born in London in 1907, prior to
the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. For many years, he ran underground cheders in Russia during the darkest
days of Soviet oppression. When the Soviets eventually learned of his efforts,
they tortured and imprisoned him for 14 years. Reb Mendel, as he was known, was
also responsible for repatriating thousands of Jewish Polish refugees after
World War II.
In 1974, with intervention from the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, coupled with tremendous assistance from British Prime
Minister Harold Wilson, Moscow’s party officials miraculously released Reb
Mendel. He went to Israel, where, with the urging of the Rebbe, he took on a
new challenge in Kfar Chabad. I vividly recall Reb Mendel telling his Southern
California audience that it would be wise if they didn’t become too “comfortable”
in America. He acknowledged that America was a wonderful country that had been
better to the Jews than any of the other places where we had previously
resided. Nevertheless, he warned that Jewish history was testimony to the fact
that Diaspora Jews should never feel too comfortable. He went on to say, “The
Jews of Poland also thought they were settled and safe, and certainly the Jews
of Germany thought so, too – but history has proven otherwise.” Most, if not
all, of his audience felt that America wasn’t Europe, and because Reb Mendel
had been traumatized, it was understandable for him to feel as he did. But
America was surely different.
I recently picked up a book entitled
Image Before My Eyes. It contains a
photographic history of Jewish life in Poland from 1864 to 1939. Viewing the
images of Jews in Krakow, Warsaw, Vilna (Poland controlled Vilna from 1920 to
1939), and the various towns and shtetls, brought to mind Reb Mendel’s warning
to his beachside California audience 45 years ago.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
How true! There are scenes of beautiful Jewish kids enjoying summer camps,
recreational activities, celebrating Purim, and having fun. There are
photographs of successful Jews, Jewish shops, and lovely portraits taken at
lavish Jewish weddings – many taking place in the late 1930s. Obviously, most
Jews were oblivious to the horrific future awaiting them, despite Hitler’s rise
to power and his increasing influence closing in. I stared at the photos,
pondering the fate that lay in store for these Polish Jews. A chill came over
me as I studied the faces of children resembling my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The photos show both frum and
assimilated Jews – and those somewhere in-between. I wondered, are we not, in
our time, in many ways like our relatives from previous generations? A storm is
brewing and most of us seem oblivious.
* *
*
Last year, in a WWW article, I related the story of my experience in 1970 with the chazan of the shul in Wilmington,
Delaware. Over a cup of tea, the chazan,
a very self-effacing 68-year-old, told me (someone a third his age) that, when
he was my age, he had come to Wilmington ready to positively influence others.
But, sadly, over the years, the “others” influenced him. He wanted me to know
that the process happens slowly, and that you don’t actually realize what’s
happening until one day you awaken to the reality that you are “the messenger
who forgot the message!”
Similarly, all too often throughout
history, too many Jews have assumed that by being like our fellow countrymen
(pick a country) we would be granted immunity from persecution. We never have!
My work takes me to university
campuses, where I have observed, and been subjected to, overt disdain for Jews
and Israel. I had never experienced anything like that until a few years ago.
The “woke” Left has fostered serious divisions in our country and has nurtured
a growing and palpable antisemitism. Since much of American journalism (so-called)
is biased towards the Left, relatively little is being reported on the topic of
the current antisemitism. The Far Right has always been a threat and remains
so, but it is the woke Left that uses “social justice” to accuse Jews (and
anyone who disagrees with their agenda) of all kinds of terrible crimes. The
standard cancel line is, “You’re a racist.” For Jews, our “crime” is being a
Zionist or suspected Zionist. The Left uses the trope that Israel is an “apartheid
state.”
In the October 4th edition
of the Washington Examiner magazine,
Jewish journalist Melissa Braunstein spells it out in detail. Here are a few
quotes from her well-researched and well-written article: “Younger American
Jews are feeling compelled to camouflage their support for Israel. A 2021
Brandeis Center poll found 50% of Jewish college students hide their Jewish
identity, and more than half avoid expressing their views on Israel.”
Braunstein quotes several sources: Miriam
Elman, an associate professor at Syracuse University, who states, “We’re well
beyond demonization and delegitimization of Israel. We’re now into attacks on
Zionists and on Israel supporters here, moving into targeted attacks on Judaism.”
Michael Goldstein, an adjunct
professor at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, states that “a fellow
faculty member put nails in my car tires and distributed 10,000 flyers, 40 to
50 in every classroom, calling for me to be fired because I was a Zionist.”
Former NYU Law School student Adela
Cojab states, “Students were talking about me in front of my face, [saying] ‘That’s
the Zionist.’ The professor and I agreed I would no longer come to classes, and
I didn’t take final exams in the same class as my peers.”
It should be noted that Jews on
campuses with large and established Jewish populations are often more vulnerable
than Jews at smaller, lesser-known universities. One of the most alarming
things is that many Jewish students have been brainwashed and actually join the
anti-Israel and BDS campus demonstrations – some for social acceptance and to
blend in, and others out of abject ignorance regarding their Judaism and
Israel. I am witness to pro-Israel speakers on campus being denied the right to
speak and Jewish students and student organizations being denied protection,
while other “ethnicities” openly spew hatred of Jews and Israel without
consequence, occasionally with the tacit support of the university.
* *
*
On October 3rd, The Wall Street Journal, one of the few
remaining objective newspapers, ran three articles on page A-15. The first, “Marxism
at the Museum,” explains how the Left/woke has infiltrated our museums and
changed the narratives of historical facts in order to suit a woke Marxist
agenda. In the second article, “AOC Tries to Bully Yeshiva University,” the socialist
congresswoman, together with five of her fellow NY Democrats, are now
attempting to dictate policy to YU. The third article, “To the Contrary She
Said,” explains how the Left/woke threaten (and cancel) those who think
differently or independently. On that same day, October 3rd, Victor
Davis Hanson wrote an article which appeared in numerous publications entitled,
“The Thinnest Veneer of Civilization.” It’s worth reading his piece, which can
be downloaded from his website. He concludes his article with: “As we suffer
self-inflicted mass looting, random street violence, hyperinflation, a non-existent
border, unaffordable fuel, and a collapsing (woke) military, Americans will
come to appreciate just how thin is the veneer of their civilization.”
The woke agenda has not only
infected America’s schools; it has also compromised medicine, scientific
research, energy development, economics, and my own profession, psychology. A
good friend of mine, a department head and professor at a well-known medical
school, needed to replace a retiring eye surgeon. After he located a top
candidate, he was told by the medical school dean that he would have to hire a
less qualified, less experienced non-white/non-Asian doctor. As the woke/Left
infiltrate our professional schools and the military, America will continue its
rapid decline. By the way, my friend resigned, after which he was branded a “racist,”
which is step one (and standard procedure) in the process of woke/Left
cancellation by the true racists. According to the woke and their
co-conspirators in government, if you are white, you are automatically guilty
of “implicit bias” towards all people of color. You must therefore first admit
that you are a racist, do penance, and then take special training to understand
your bias better. Many, myself included, are not racists and on principle will
not admit to being one. We are therefore prime candidates for cancellation. It
is interesting that Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned U.S. neurosurgeon, who is black,
has been cancelled for – get ready – being too “white.” Got that?!
* *
*
Jews have historically been social justice
warriors. Often, the cause has been righteous, as was the case with the many
Jews who fought for the rights of blacks in South Africa and here in America (a
righteous act now largely ignored and conveniently forgotten).
Unfortunately, when Jews lose touch
with true Torah values, their inbred hunger for justice remains but loses its
anchor and, ultimately, its mooring. Then the Torah’s clear lines defining
good, bad, right, and wrong become subjective. That’s when we chart our own
course to self-destruction, eventually leading to what I call “Jewish suicidal empathy.”
During the early part of the 20th
century, many Jews were at the forefront of the Soviet Communist experiment,
which, like all Communist enterprises, ended in disaster, taking many Jewish
lives and souls with it. Now, once again, Jews not anchored by Torah, and often
seeking social acceptance and peer approval, substitute a social agenda tainted
by a political philosophy, for their Judaism. Many are at the forefront of woke/Left
causes that are destructive to Jews and all of humanity. When G-d and His Torah
do not guide our decisions, we have no objective standard for morality. Historically
this has led to numerous personal, communal, and societal tragedies throughout
Jewish history.
It’s not just about Jews who are
secular and non-observant. There are Jews who consider themselves observant and
keep Shabbos based upon what they know, but they do not have a Rav with whom
they consult for daas Torah (Torah
wisdom) on important matters and questions of halacha (Jewish law). “Asay lecha rav ukney lecha chaver”
(Pirkei Avos 1:6). The understood translation is: Accept upon yourself a Rav
and acquire a friend – meaning that just as we are close to a friend, so should
we be close to our Rav. All too often, Jews choose to be their own “rabbis” in
order to validate themselves and their own personal opinions.
Unfortunately, many well-intentioned
Jews put their personal feelings ahead of Jewish law. I recall with sadness the
time when I was a shul Rav and a lovely couple asked me to marry them. I
subsequently learned that he was a kohein
and she was a divorcee. If it were about my feelings, I would have conducted
their wedding (as the Reform rabbi did). My feelings needed to be set aside.
When we accept the Torah as G-d’s immutable law, we also accept that Torah
overrides our feelings. No, it’s frequently not easy, but when we choose to
live as Jews, we are meant to accept the entire Torah, not only the parts that
appeal to us. Yes, sometimes it can be challenging. Sadly, we now live in an
era when “abominations,” clearly defined by the Torah, are subject to woke social
justice interpretations, which for many Jews override the clearly defined laws
of the Torah.
* * *
I have always believed that, instead
of blaming others for our misfortunes, we Jews must ask ourselves if indeed we
may have been responsible for creating some of them. When I hear people blaming
the Arabs for many of their inexcusable actions I always ask, how did we
contribute to those actions? Because of our social justice nature, we may have
contributed by giving away too much and giving in too frequently, for an
illusive peace that never arrives. It seems that we have repeatedly emboldened
those who seek our destruction. This too is “suicidal empathy.”
A non-Jewish colleague stopped me on
Yom Yerushalayim. She posed and answered her own rhetorical question: “Do you
know why there was a Yom Kippur War? Because in 1967, after G-d performed
miracles and returned all of the Jewish holy sites back to the Jews, what did
Israel’s secular leaders do? They gave back sovereignty over some of the
holiest places to the Arabs who started the war – evidently as a gift for
hating Israel and trying to destroy it. So, G-d must have said, ‘If that’s the
way you treat My holy sites which I gifted to you, then on the most sacred day
of the year, Yom Kippur, you will be reminded by harshly relearning the lesson.
Once again you will go to war. Then you will appreciate the holy places and
land which you casually gave back to your sworn enemies.’”
My colleague then said, “Just
imagine if, when Israel had the chance, just after the Six Day War, they would
have done what needed to be done – ignored the antisemitic UN and Jew haters
around the world, who will never be appeased – and not given back anything that
was conquered?!” She went on to say, “Just before the U.S. embassy was moved to
Jerusalem, where it belongs, I heard many non- and semi-observant Jews
expressing concern for how the Palestinians would feel and how they might react.”
She continued, “There is nothing worse than a Jew who doesn’t believe in
himself, Israel, and his own religion.”
WOW! My head was spinning!
Whether or not you subscribe to what
this woman said, I must say that I never thought about the Yom Kippur War in
her terms. I’m still pondering her incredible insights into “Jewish suicidal
empathy.” And, she’s an outsider! “He who is compassionate to the cruel will
ultimately become cruel to the compassionate.” (Kohelet Rabbah/Yalkut Shemoni).
The most prominent example of suicidal empathy starts way back with Shaul
HaMelech. King Shaul (Samuel I 15:1-11) spares Agag against G-d’s will, and as
a result, we Jews have suffered since. The most prominent descendant of Agag
was Haman, followed by the Romans.
* * *
We are living in precarious times.
The question that we Jews must ask ourselves is this: In what ways might we be
responsible for what is occurring? As we are emerging from the Days of Awe and
introspection, this is an excellent time to remember our sacred mission to be a
“light unto the nations”: to live by the commandments, not just the convenient
ones or those that we agree with, to acquire a Rav and a friend, and to
increase acts of chesed and mitzvos bein adam lechaveiro (between man and
his/her fellow). What happens next will likely be a reflection of the Jews and
our behavior.
Finally, on a positive and hopeful
note, I have a very dear Sefardi friend from London who has been impacted by
the woke cancel culture. He phoned me from Israel on erev Yom Kippur. He sounded elated as he was about to have the seuda before the fast. He said, “Rabbi,
last night, just before midnight, my boys (all in their 20s) said, ‘Dad, we’re
going to the Kotel for the final Slichos
before Yom Kippur.” I said, ‘I’ll go with you.’ Our apartment isn’t too far so
we walked toward the Jaffa Gate. We couldn’t yet see the Old City, but from
over a half a mile away we could hear the sounds of thousands of voices
emanating from the Kotel, singing in unison ‘Hashem, Hashem, Kail rachum vechanun (G-d, our G-d, compassionate
and gracious…).’
“The streets were packed, literally katef el katef, shoulder to shoulder, like
sardines in a can. For me it was a reminder of Temple times. As we inched
closer to the Jaffa Gate, it was gridlock. It was 1 a.m., and we couldn’t move.
Thousands of people were converging on the Old City. There were so many people
that trying to enter through the Jaffa Gate wasn’t at all possible. We inched
our way farther down to where the number-One bus enters. That too was blocked.
We could see the floodlights of the Kotel in the distance but there was no way
we could move closer.
“We climbed up on a cliff and were immediately
engulfed by others doing the same, as we pressed against an old (possibly
ancient) iron fence. I prayed that the fence wouldn’t collapse, or we would
tumble down the cliff. All the while we heard the sounds of what must have been
tens of thousands of Jews singing and shouting ‘Hashem, Hashem, Kail rachum vechanun.’ We joined in from where we
stood. Then I started looking around. I expected to see black hats, coats, and shtreimels. They were there, but there
were also clearly thousands upon thousands of non-religious Jews, in jeans and
T-shirts, some wearing microscopic kippot.
There were also women, some clearly chareidi
but others clearly not. We were all reciting the words of Slichos together – ke’ish echad
belev echad (as one person with one heart). It was the most beautiful and
inspiring Jewish experience of my lifetime. I was witnessing tens of thousands
of G-d’s children, from all different backgrounds, from different cultures, all
gathered in sincere, heartfelt prayer together as one neshama (soul). I felt that I was experiencing what the Jews of
Temple times felt when they gathered for Yom Kippur.
“My boys and I lost track of time.
It seems that we were transported to a holy spiritual place where time didn’t
exist. I glanced at my watch, and somehow it was now 4 a.m. We slowly
inched our way out. The area was still packed, with more people passing us
heading toward the Kotel. We got back to our apartment just before 5:00. We
weren’t tired; we were exuberant. Our Shacharis davening was powerfully
connected and meaningful.”
My friend continued, “Rabbi, having
been privileged to experience what I described gives me much hope for the
future. When G-d looked down last night, I know that, even with all of the
problems facing us, all will be okay. He will surely bless and keep His
children – when we are a unified family – despite our differences.”
* * *
As I recall the words of Reb Mendel
and ask myself where America is heading, I am encouraged by my Sfardi friend’s
words. Clearly, our future is in G-d’s hands. Our job is to be His loyal emissaries
to a troubled world. I am confident in the words of Psalm 121: “The Lord of
Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”
