Being Jewish—a Blessing or a Burden?

For my 13^th birthday, my parents took my brother and me to Broadway to see the Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick musical Fiddler on the Roof  starring Hershel Bernardi as Tevye (he had replaced the original star, Zero Mostel). Years later, in 1976, my husband and I saw Mostel as Tevye when he reprised the role on Broadway. I cannot explain why that musical had such a tremendous impact on me, but I felt forever more connected to being a Jew. The pride, suffering and sacrifice throughout Jewish history resonated in a deeper way for me. Meaningful or corny, I chose music from the show for our wedding ceremony: “Sabbath Prayer” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” The songs accompanied the members of our wedding party as they walked down the aisle.

Image courtesy of Hadassah.

At home, around the dinner table, our parents always included us in discussions of all sorts of topics. A day or so after we stopped raving about the show and its performers, the topic of blacklisting came up. Our parents explained to us how, in the 1940s and 1950s, people had been accused of being communists, of being “Un-American.” My parents talked about the consequences these people endured in their careers and their personal lives, how it threatened their safety.

Bernardi and Mostel were among the many talented performers who had been blacklisted. As a matter of fact, when they were able to work again in the movies, the movie credits at the end of the film noted that they had been backlisted.

For those who may not know, McCarthyism was the politically motivated persecution of people on the “left,” feeding on the fear that they were espousing the Soviet influence on Americans and American institutions. There were college protests railing against McCarthyism, citing censorship, harassment and persecution. Any of this sound familiar today?

Back at my childhood dinner table, we learned to take pride in who we were and where we came from. We were told to speak up if/when anyone said or did something negative regarding Jewish people. We were urged to stand up for ourselves, yet not to wear our Judaism like a chip on our shoulders just waiting for someone to knock it off. We were encouraged to do positive things in our lives, to be role models for others. Those lessons have carried me through the years and informed many of the choices I have made.

Yet in 2024, it is so hard to stay positive and see the good in people everywhere. I was taught to judge people one at a time, as individuals, not to stereotype them by where they come from or because they were of a certain ethnicity or religion. But isn’t that exactly what is going wrong for Jews today all over the world?

I was recently talking to two colleagues about these challenging times. One cautioned me, saying, “Don’t call yourself a Jew; just say you are Jewish; the word Jew is derogatory.” I didn’t know how to respond. Others can call themselves “Catholic,” “Protestant,” “Buddhist” or “Muslim,” but I cannot call myself a “Jew?”

Does every single aspect of being Jewish have to be a challenge? We are only about 2% of the world’s population. Do we all need to disappear from the planet for others to be happy and content with their lives? I still don’t get it. Jews comprise two percent of the world population. How is that a threat?

I won’t recount the history of what positive impact Jews have had throughout the centuries in all walks of life because no number of positive examples seem to influence the haters. Normally, we would all go along with our lives, performing our positive acts to counter this negativity. But today’s events are totally overwhelming and people I speak to are feeling hopeless without an idea of what they can do to make things better.

For those of us who have families who lived through or remember the Holocaust, it is unthinkable that the hatred and vitriol that fueled WWII would resurface as it has. When we discussed WWII in school, I remember teachers and students remarking how the Jews let it happen, that they did not resist or fight back, that they should have known, and they should have left Germany sooner. Well, history now reveals that many of them did.

In 1939, the German liner SS St. Louis, with about 937 Jewish passengers, was turned away by Cuba, then the US and then Canada. The vessel was sent back to Europe, which literally was a death sentence for many of the passengers. They left Europe to escape discrimination and political persecution. What did they find? An immigration policy that turned them away. Again, does this sound familiar?

Our college kids are living in jeopardy on campus. So what lessons are they learning? We see violent protesters chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” hiding behind “freedom of speech” with the support of too many university deans, local officials and politicians.

People have said to me, “Oh, but many don’t even know what ‘river to the sea’ means.” How does that make it better? They are willing to shout slogans against Israel, which is fighting for its survival, and against Jews who are trying to live their lives in peace without even knowing what from “the river to the sea” means?

Even trying to have states and countries adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism* to achieve better understanding of what constitutes antisemitism is deemed offensive and limiting of free speech, which it is not.

My volunteer organization, Hadassah, is committed to the safety of the land and people of Israel and has a policy statement condemning antisemitism and endorsing the IHRA.

Is it society’s obligation to allow dangerous, violent speech that often leads to violent acts, that presents a clear and present danger to a whole population? Isn’t it against the law to yell “fire” in a crowded theater for fear this could cause a stampede and people might get hurt? Yet it is acceptable to espouse the annihilation of a people and a country?

Where and how are reasonable dialogue and any sort of negotiations possible when the other side wants you gone? Why is Israel viewed differently than any other nation that, if attacked, would defend herself and her citizens?

According to UN Watch, in 2024, the UN General Assembly passed 15 resolutions criticizing Israel and only seven concerning the entire rest of the world. In addition, this year, the General Assembly adopted a resolution that, as of September 10, 2024, upgrades Palestine’s rights at the UN as an Observer State and urges the Security Council to consider its full membership.

Can we not achieve a sense of fairness?

I ask people around the world to consider Israel’s survival as they would any other country’s survival. Factor in that the Jewish people have the same right to live in peace without fear, as we would grant to virtually anyone else. And, above all, I ask everyone, if you don’t know the facts, the history, the reasons why these events are happening, please read and learn before you speak and act.

While the 1975 United Nations resolution declaring that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination,” was rescinded in the 1990s, the accusation did not disappear. In 2001, at the Durban World Conference on Racism, many representatives accused Israel of being a racist and apartheid state.

If you feel hate, please examine the root cause of that hatred. We cannot have peace anywhere if we deny a people’s right to exist. My hope is that we all can keep talking to those who disagree with us and speak up to make things better, hard and painful as it has been this past year.

* Why is the IHRA Definition Important?
The IHRA Definition is an important tool for guidance and education about antisemitism. As antisemitic incidents have increased worldwide, governments and civil society have sought ways to speak out against antisemitism and ensure that there is awareness of its real-life manifestations and impact. The definition should not be viewed as a replacement for existing laws. It is not a “charging authority.” Nonetheless, it offers critical guidance.