Playing Offense in Amsterdam

If the past 400 days have been a reckoning for our people, the Amsterdam Pogrom of last week have added an entirely new dimension.

With hundreds of Israelis hunkered down for hours, hiding from a bloodthirsty mob that was beating Jews in the streets of Europe, the question of how we lean into our Jewish identity is as pressing as ever.

We can choose to see ourselves as either employees focused on survival or ambassadors focused on a mission.

Like an employee going to work, whose primary motivation is personal security, we can embrace our Jewish identity as one that provides us with meaning, purpose, and culture, yet with survival at the center of our universe. Taking that approach, we ask questions like: Should we hide our identity or display it? Do we speak out or stay silent? Do we focus on securing our children or educating them Jewishly?

The other approach is to embrace our raison d’être as Divine ambassadors, called to transform the world from what it is into what it is meant to become. There is no other “I,” and we have no other purpose. At the center of the universe is the mission we serve.

In the “Divine Agent” posture, brokenness in the world is a call to action, and a violent mob is a reminder of how important our light is. From this perspective, one does not ask, “Should I speak out?” but rather, “What is the most effective way to communicate?” There is no question of hiding one’s identity, only of how to secure it. The Divine Agent understands that nothing is more important than advancing their mission of educating the world about its Creator and connecting oneself through the performance of mitzvot.

Now, more than ever, the world needs our voice. Never in history has the average person had the possibility to project their voice as we can now. If we see ourselves as “employees” playing defense, our influence will be minimal. Let’s embrace our role as Divine Ambassadors, actively transforming the world into the palace it is meant to be.