A security guard with an iridescent vest covering what might have been a flack jacket, patrolled the sidewalk in front of Temple Judea, a synagogue in Furlong (Bucks County), PA. I was on my way out of the parking lot and I rolled down the window to thank him for protecting those of us who had been inside the building being all festive at a Chanukah celebration. I added that I was sorry it was necessary for him to be there to help ward off any hate fueled assailant who might decide to wreak havoc. His reassuring words to me: “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe with me here.” Trickling tears accompanied me on my way home.
As I am writing this, more than a month has passed since the assault by Hamas on October 7th. Rape, murder and kidnapping. Some of the hostages have been released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in captivity by the Israeli government. Retaliatory strikes by Israel have taken the lives of Hamas terrorists as well as innocent civilians. A temporary cease fire in the hostilities has allowed for humanitarian aid to get through military lines. At this writing, more than 100 hostages have been released with 117 still held. They will need intensive therapy and TLC to cope with PTSD that is sure to be a result of this harrowing experience.
This is the first time I have written extensively about that day and the aftermath, wanting to take time to find the words to express how I feel, rather than tiptoeing around the tangled issues. I have seen and responded to posts that conflate supporting Israeli people with supporting the Netanyahu government. I don’t support the prime minister of Israel as he is a mirror image in many ways of our former president. They say, “What about the Palestinian people?” I don’t know enough about geo-politics to speak authoritatively about the cause of the horrific attack and the conditions under which some of the hostages were held. There are some who would say that Hamas was reacting to the conditions in Gaza and what they see as injustice toward Palestinian people and had reached a breaking point. I have heard statements that indicated Hamas used civilians as human shields. President Biden has stated definitively that he stands by Israel which has cost him some poll numbers and yet surprisingly, it is one thing that some Republicans also support. A consideration is that some on that side of the aisle see this as heralding the biblical ‘end times’. Outside this single issue, I am wondering if they simultaneously hold anti-Semitic beliefs and behaviors.
There will be people who will read this article and still say I am wishy washy and I need to definitively call out one side or the other.
I am making it clear here. NO ONE should be persecuted, murdered, kidnapped, bombed out, raped or held hostage for ANY REASON. No one should be denied a safe place to live. Being pro-Palestinian rights to sovereignty doesn’t make me anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. Being pro-Israel’s right to defend itself in no way condones harming civilians. I am pro-people of any and all religions, cultures and countries of origin living in peace. No murder in my name as a Jewish woman.
I have friends who are Israeli and who have family connections there and they struggle mightily with the ethics of what is happening.
Although anti-Semitism has existed as long as there have been Jewish people against which to hold bigotry, it has deepened and widened since 2016 when a certain former holder of the Oval Office opened the door for white supremacists and neo Nazis to come storming through. Synagogue bombings, marches, such as the one in Charlottesville, defacement of Jewish cemeteries, homes and businesses have evidenced the vile intentions of those who carry them out. They have wielded terror like a sword. Some Jews have refrained from wearing yarmulkes or Star of David jewelry. Some have been afraid of having a lit menorah in their window or attending public events in celebration of the current holiday of Chanukah. Here in Bucks County, 273 people RSVP’d for the gathering I attended. I experienced a myriad of emotions, joy, sadness, bewilderment, gratitude, playfulness, and grief for lives lost to hatred. I saw friends from my social justice community who could be counted on to attend rallies, vigils and protests, celebrating there today, although it occurred to me that celebration and joy in the face of hatred is resistance, and is a protest.
I listened to brief and encouraging speeches from Rabbi Levin from the synagogue, VP of the Doylestown Borough Council, Wendy Margolis, Senator Steve Santarsiero, Pastor Phillip Krey, from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Tim Brennan and Jewish Federation Representative Rebecca Etter. They all encouraged seeing the world through the eyes of light, love and unity. I found myself smiling in recognition as the words to Hatikvah flowed out; this song that I was compelled to listen to over and over in Hebrew school until I committed it to memory. It translates to ‘The Hope’. Guitarist and singer Michael Smolen entertained the crowd with songs both secular and spiritual as teens joined him on stage. There was a ‘human menorah,’ with children standing in front of the crowd holding up carboard tubes in which red tissue paper was placed to represent the flame of the candles. There was face painting, games, donuts (a staple of Chanukah), and a large dreidel by which people could pose for photos.
I did.
Three university presidents are now under public scrutiny for letting slide statements of anti-Semitism and calling for killing Jews, on their campuses. “If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment,” Liz Magill replied, in a reference to distinctions in first amendment law. “It is a context-dependent decision.” Is there really a context in which calling for the wholesale murder of an entire population is acceptable? She has since resigned her position as president of the University of Pennsylvania.
It reminds me of the declaration that many of us grew up with, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” I call B.S. on that. Words hurt. Words can incite violence. Words can incite genocide.
One of the giveaways at the gathering was a pin that is a blue square with a # on it. Part of the Stand up to Jewish Hate campaign that was launched by the owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft, it is a PSA that lets Jewish people know that we are not alone. “This little blue square represents the Jewish population in the United States – 2.4%,” said Kraft, who was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, in an observant Orthodox Jewish family. “But we’re the victims of 55% of the hate crimes in this country.”
This tv commercial for Stand up to Jewish Hate featuring a father and his teen age son grabbed me by the heart and wouldn’t let go and watching it again just now, I teared up. This one featuring a good neighbor, reminds me that there good people who won’t allow hatred to take hold.
The tagline at the end of each one? “Hate only wins if you let it.”
Let’s not let it.
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Author
