Rosh Hashanah 2026/5787, A Time For Action

Antisemitic hatred of Jews is not caused by Benjamin Netanyahu, the “settlers,” or Donald Trump. It has existed in tandem with the several thousand years of Jewish existence.  There is no excuse for it and no “reason” for it. It will not disappear when government heads or their policies are replaced in Israel or America or elsewhere.

The Jewish people have always represented a threat to the dominant culture. We never accepted that kings were gods—a big no-no since ancient times—and certainly not our gods. We believe that all humans were created in God’s image and therefore equal-a subversive concept later enshrined in America’s Declaration of Independence. We maintained our own religion, practices and beliefs no matter where we found ourselves. And since the Roman conquest, more than 2000 years ago, we found ourselves in a perpetual state of expulsion. Until we had a state of our own.

Since October 7, 2023. Israel has been making enormous, almost inconceivable sacrifices. Israelis are fighting not only to defend the Jewish homeland, but also for Jewish people everywhere who are besieged by antisemitic hatred.

Some well meaning souls, and others not so well meaning, are possessed by the insane notion that Jews should sacrifice themselves and their children, or at least “turn the other cheek,” for the sake of a spurious “peace” with the very people who repeatedly not only declare their intention to kill us but frequently and regularly engage in doing so. If a reminder is needed of Hamas’s  extraordinarily cruel and revolting assaults, this is it. Turning the other cheek is suicidal in the Middle East.

Part of antisemitism’s long ugly history has been its “promise” that Jewish self-abnegation would miraculously result in a better world for all-except Jews, of course. I guess Dana Nessel took this to heart. Dana, a Jewish Democratic candidate relinquished her place in Michigan’s state convention. She declared, “We have a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival.” All her pronouns refer to the Jewish people.

OK, Dana, you go right ahead and surrender your own self-interests and survival but leave me out of it. I’m not your “we” and neither are other Jews. And, by the way, I don’t see any other ethnic groups rushing to relinquish their lives and welfare for the sake of the greater good.

We can anticipate that upcoming elections will generate increased pressure to abandon Jewish self interest. For years we’ve been told,  “leave your Zionism [Judaism] at the door” by multiple progressive groups to which we’d given our support. By now you may have figured out, they don’t want you, just your votes and your money.

Who do you want? Antisemitic socialist Democratic candidates will be pitted against Republicans, some of whom are also antisemitic. Some are viewed by liberal Jewish voters as destructive to American democratic norms. Liberal Democratic Jews, despite feeling abandoned by their own party, are unwilling to vote for those Republicans. What to do?

First, recognize bigotry toward any group is a grave enemy and the antithesis of democracy. Thus, voting for an antisemite is not a solution. So, the first decision is simple. Don’t vote for a bigot from either party. Then, let your party know why you’re not voting.

If all we do is talk to one another about how awful things are, we can guarantee they will continue to be awful. This New Year, I urge you to resolve to act.

There are very simple things we can each do daily that take less than a few moments once you establish a template. This allows you to sign pre-written letters and petitions (they encrypt your email) in mere seconds. Many Jewish organizations offer this. Hadassah has an online Action Center. The Jewish Federations of North American will email you “One Mitzvah a Day.” My personal favorite is the WhatApp group, “Pens for Swords,” which has been extremely influential and effective in reversing or preventing actions negatively impacting Jews.

Just one a day…

Wishing all of us, and all the creatures on earth-especially dogs-a sweet, healthy, more peaceful New Year.