Between Fear and Pride: The Struggle for Visible Jewish Identity After Oct. 7
One of the positive trends since October 7 for the Jewish people has been stories of renewed Jewish identity. Reports of Jews attending synagogues, joining community activities and working on behalf of Israel for the first time in years have been encouraging and deserve our attention.
Yet pressures on the ability of Jews to live normal Jewish lives have risen to levels not seen in decades, both in Europe and in the United States. The expression of these pressures differs by region, with Europe experiencing both direct and indirect forms, while in America the indirect pressures predominate.
In Europe, this takes the form of governments and societies imposing restrictions that prevent the practice of fundamental elements of Jewish religious life. In some European countries, laws ban shechita (Jewish ritual slaughter) that is essential to keeping kosher. The challenge multiplied dramatically when the European Court of Justice upheld bans by two of Belgium’s regions on shechita, making it possible that this approach could spread throughout the continent.
Similarly, the planned prosecution of mohalim (circumcizers) in Belgium for allegedly assaulting children in the performance of this fundamental religious rite has shocked the local Jewish community and Jewish organizations around the world.
These pressures come at a time when many Jews across Europe already feel intimidated from showing their Jewishness because of surging antisemitism. While there are efforts within the community to encourage Jews to stand tall and be proud of their Jewish and Zionist identities, with some success, the opposite has also occurred. Statistics indicate that more and more Jews are deciding not to wear symbols of their Jewishness, whether a Jewish star or a kippah, or refraining from expressing their Zionism and support of Israel.
In other words, behaviors that come naturally to Jews are now being suppressed to feel safe.
In the United States, none of the government and judicial actions occurring in Europe are taking place. Jews can count on constitutional protections for their way of life. On a societal level, however, much evidence suggests that for many Jews it is a time of insecurity about showing their Jewishness. Reports of American Jews going out of their way to hide their identity abound, whether by not wearing a kippah in public, taking off a prominent Star of David or avoiding joining a Jewish club on campus. This is startling given how far American Jews had come over the decades in feeling comfortable in their own skin. In the 1950s, it was rare to see someone wearing a kippah outside areas known to be significantly Jewish. That changed as America became more pluralistic and open expressions of Judaism became normalized.
Now the combination of violent attacks on Jews together with verbal assaults on Israel and Zionists has made expressing Jewish identity nerve-wracking for many. Undoubtedly, reports of the high number of violent assaults on Haredi Jews, highly identifiable by their garb, played a role in the hesitation by others in the community.
These patterns, in Europe and America, pose a great challenge to democratic societies that claim they learned the lessons of the Holocaust. If they are serious about ensuring Jewish life, they need to do more to protect Jews, to change the outrageous stereotypes that have poisoned the atmosphere toward Jews and Zionists and to reassure their Jewish citizens that they are an important part of their nation and will be protected.
For Jewish communities, we must reinforce the message that not only must we fight antisemitism in all its forms, but we must stand proud and stronger than ever in our Jewishness, doing so publicly and openly.
