Responding to Anti-Jewish Extremism in America

Extremism begets extremism, and extremism has become mainstream in America, giving platform to Jew-hatred.

Most recently, on Tuesday, the anti-Zionist socialist who refused to condemn the expression “Globalize the Intifada,” Zohran Mamdani, won four out of five boroughs in a trouncing of his electoral opponents. In response to the extremism of our times and as a product of the extremism of our times, he is now mayor-elect of New York.

Another example: last week, right-wing conspiracy-theorist Tucker Carlson hosted on his podcast Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes, receiving to date more than 15 million views.

15 MILLION views. Extremism begets extremism, and extremism has become mainstream in America, giving platform to Jew-hatred. How should we as Jews respond?

Perhaps it will come as no surprise that some of the answers to this question come directly from this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Vayera. God sends three angels to visit Abraham and Sarah, and the angels announce that, despite Abraham and Sarah’s advanced ages, the couple will become parents.

Message heard. What is one way we respond to anti-Jewish extremism? We begin with faith in God – a faith that tells us that only God knows what happens next (and predictions about the future are mere speculation); a faith that assures us that, ultimately, God will ensure the continuity of the Jewish People; and a faith that comforts us by reminding that God is near to all who call upon our Creator.

The anger and violence of our world today should lead us on a path toward stronger faith, renewed faith, deepened faith.

Second, full of faith, we are instructed from the beginning of Genesis through this week’s Torah portion and beyond that, with faith in a better future, we must play a part in raising Jewish children. There is no greater act of repairing the world then bringing forth new Jewish life. There is no greater commitment to repairing the world than ensuring that our children – biological children; adopted children; or nieces, nephews, and friends’ children whom we help to raise – receive a thick, meaningful, and joyful Jewish education.

We must invest significantly in Jewish education: parents for their children; grandparents for their grandchildren; the community for all our kids. And we must live our Judaism inside our Jewish homes.

Third, the child born to Abraham and Sarah will be named for Sarah’s reaction to hearing the news of her pregnancy: she laughed. Yitzchak – Isaac – means laughter.

How else can we respond to anti-Jewish extremism? We laugh. We sing. We hug. We eat. And we laugh some more. Life is a precious gift. There’s nothing that will anger anti-Jewish extremists more than joyful Jews – especially joyful Jews doing Jewish.

Immediately following the angels’ visit to Abraham and Sarah, God announces to Abraham our Heavenly Parent’s plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham summons his chutzpah to challenge God: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?!” (Gen. 18:25).

We respond to anti-Jewish extremism by following Abraham’s lead. While the anti-Jewish extremists want Jews to run and hide, we instead double-down on our mission as Jews to pursue justice in an unjust world and to offer compassion in a cruel world.

We live justice and compassion by defending ourselves against antisemitic lies and libels. We live justice and compassion by ensuring that Israel receives a fair shake among the nations and by holding Israel accountable to Jewish values. We live justice and compassion by caring for the Jewish widow and the Jewish orphan, the Jewish poor and the Jewish hungry, by protecting the rights of our non-Jewish neighbors and by caring for the poor and needy among the gentiles too.

How do we confront the mainstreaming of anti-Jewish extremism?

Faith. Children. Laughter. Justice. Compassion.

And (at least) one more thing. How else do we confront anti-Jewish extremism? We show up: for each other, for our people, for God, and for community. We show up.

Come to the synagogue and bring your family. Support the synagogue by sharing with friends about our activities. Invest in the synagogue through donations and volunteerism. Let’s infuriate all the extremist Jew-haters out there by filling our sanctuary with Jewish prayer, our social halls with Jewish gatherings, and our classrooms with adults and children studying Judaism. We show up.

Extremism begets extremism, and extremism is becoming mainstream in America, giving platform to Jew-hatred. But we are not powerless. We are not helpless. Rather, we are strong; we are determined; we are together.

Extremism begets extremism, but the performance of one mitzvah begets the performance of another (Pirkei Avot 4:2).

Faith. Children. Laughter. Justice. Compassion. Jewish living. That’s how we respond to anti-Jewish extremism in America today.

Are you with me? Am Yisrael Chai and Shabbat shalom.