How To Fight Antisemitism for Real

Here’s a radical solution to solve antisemitism–be modest, be nice and be inconspicuous

It sounds naive, but it’s not.

Let’s examine the overall position of the Jewish people. We are famously blessed. Though we make up barely 0.2 percent of the world population, we claim 27 percent of the Nobel physics laureates, 31 percent of the medicine laureates, 37 percent of Academy Award-winning directors, and 54 percent of the world chess champion. That’s a heck of a lot! People notice that.

And we attract wealth. It’s not just Shakespear’s imagination–as a group, Jews are richer than anyone else. A 2020 Pew study revealed that more than half of US Jews reported their annual household income as at least $100,000. That same year, the rest of the population was earning $67,000, significantly less.

Wealth and success feed jealousy, which feeds hatred. Humans are primed to dislike those who outdo them in wealth and accomplishment. There you have it–Eisav hates Jacob.

So what do we do? Here are a few solutions.

1. Dial down conspicuous consumption. Live in plainer houses. Drive unflashy cars . Dress simply. A Jew is a spiritual being, part angel, part human, not a walking billboard for the latest styles! On a conscious or unconscious level, non-Jews expect us to occupy that role. When we don’t, they get angry.

2. Be inconspicuous. A Jew doesn’t need to be at the top of your game in worldly pursuits. A Jew needs to be a Jew–that’s a job and a half.

Scale back work commitments (provided you can keep yourself and your family alive at a fairly basic level) to devote serious time to Torah study. As the Ethics of the Father teaches, “Make your work temporary and your Torah study permanent.”

2. Be kind, sensitive, and, most of all, honest. Treat others decently. Pay on time without haggling. Obey the law scrupulously.

Hardly a day goes by when an identifiable member of the tribe isn’t caught in some scam. Dishonesty never earned anyone brownie points. Jews, our name is Yeshurun. G-d’s straight one’s an accolade for honesty. Everyone hates a crook.

3. We need to talk about this constantly. Rabbis need to scream these messages from the pulpit, teachers in the classroom, and parents at home. Let us change the conversation on antisemitism so that it focuses on us rather than them.

These aren’t original ideas.  In late medieval Prague, the biblical commentator the  Kli Yakar made a similar plea to his countryman as have great rabbis through the ages. Sadly, these pleas usually go unheeded to disastrous results.

. Let’s be smart this time.  As antisemitism once again rears its ugly head, let us take these words to heart or risk the consequences.