A Rude Awakening
Many liberal Jews such as myself were lulled by the veneer of western tolerance into the false sense of security that society had outgrown the deep seated antisemitism of previous generations. We believed that we did not need a safe haven in the event that the world turned against us once again, because our society seemed to have come so far.
Growing up in suburban Jewish communities, many of us participated in Holocaust education programs such as The March of The Living. This is a program in which teenagers spend a week touring concentration camps before spending a week in Israel. Holocaust education exposes young people to atrocities so they remain vigilant lest these horrors be repeated. This prophylactic, collective PTSD is a lot for people to hold, and we can’t be blamed for wanting to shed it.
Some of us came to believe that the horrors of the past had created a paranoia among Jews regarding antisemitism. We couldn’t understand how the Holocaust happened, and we didn’t believe anything like it could happen again. The events of 10/7 and the world’s reaction to it destroyed that illusion. We now see how the holocaust happened, how the world let it happen, and how it could happen again. Indeed, we witnessed it in microcosm just last month.
Liberal Jews marched with Black leaders during the Civil Rights movement. We put Black Lives Matter signs in our yards after the murder of George Floyd. So we were horrified when the Chicago Chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement posted an image of a paraglider with a caption declaring their allegiance with Palestine. Hamas paragliders descended upon the Nova Music Festival for Peace and mowed down hundreds of young, unarmed civilians. That since-deleted post was nothing other than a celebration of the murder of innocent Jews. Apparently Jewish lives don’t matter.
Progressives rightly condemned anyone who said, “The death of George Floyd was regrettable, but he was on drugs at the time” or “All lives Matter!” But on 10/8 they were all saying, “What happened yesterday was bad, but this is what decolonization looks like,” or “Free Palestine!” They would not unequivocally condemn the intentional slaughter of innocent Jews.
The entire world rallied around the Palestinains in the immediate aftermath of 10/7. Let us not forget that this was before any military response by the IDF. Committing the most heinous atrocities since the holocaust seemingly garnered worldwide support… for the perpetrators. Most commentators online either denied the extent of the horrors, sought to explain that they are the natural consequences of Israeli policies, or both. It feels as if the entire world kicked us when we were down.
To say that this has been a rude awakening is an understatement. Every Jewish person I know has been shaken to their core. We are a generation that, for the most part, takes our lack of religiosity as a point of pride and who naively believed we were human beings before being Jews. But the rest of the world doesn’t see our humanity, apparently. They don’t bat an eye when we are slaughtered. They blame us for it.
We have taken note. The Holocaust was 78 years ago… and last month. We do not have the luxury of downplaying antisemitism anymore. Jewish sovereignty is necessary to ensure our survival. This is no longer an abstract idea: the threat is a real and present danger.
This realization has had a profound effect on Jews such as myself. People who hated sitting through synagogue growing up are joining congregations for the first time. Atheist Jews are saying prayers for the first time in decades, not because of faith in their efficacy, but because these are the words spoken by our people for thousands of years.
Liberal Jews who generally reject nationalism have newfound pride in the modern miracle that is Israel. My wife is not Jewish, but she loves Jewish values, culture and history. In an act of solidarity she joined me in getting a Star of David tattoo on our right ring fingers. It symbolizes a commitment to, and a celebration of, Jewish values, culture and history. It is an act of defiance against a world that cheers when we are slaughtered.
Am Ysirael Chai! The nation of Israel lives!
