‘The War of the Jews’

Dated June 4, the Shalom Hartman Institute released their podcast ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ (Donniel Hartman & Yossi Klein-Halevi): ‘Israel at War-The war against the Jews’, day 606. Basically, antisemitism in North America; or, how European antisemitism seems to have been exported to north-American shores: from campuses to murder in Washington DC and Boulder, CO. An unexpected escalation… unexpected? That is the question. Who knows when rhetoric turns into violence?

Almost ten years ago a Jewish man of fifty-something was stabbed to death in a smaller city in Uruguay, South-America. It was March 2016. The war in Gaza in the summer of 2014 was behind, but the wave of antisemitism broke not on the shore but at the heart of Paysandú, a city of eighty thousand people (the population of Uruguay is 3.5 million people, half in the capital city, Montevideo) with a dwindling but strongly committed Jewish community.

During 2014 a wave of antisemitism, triggered by that war in Gaza (‘Protective Shield’), swept through the country. Graffiti at bus-stops, strong messages against Israel, talk of genocide of Palestinians, and mainly, and mostly, the strong rhetoric of then President José Mujica and his Secretary of State Almagro fueled the sensible situation. When the ceasefire finally happened the wave gradually waned. Only to appear with full power and shock in March 2016. It was a crime of hate. The killer had been indoctrinated in the internet and that day he was resolved to murder a Jew. And so he did.

Since then our congregation, NCI of Montevideo (Masorti) in collaboration with Bnei Brith, holds a memorial each year ‘for Coexistence’. It is in memory of the victim, but mostly we strive to build a better future for our society, to which as Jews we feel committed. This year as well as 2024 were particularly challenging due to Oct7th; we don’t know what challenges we’ll face next year. We are now, as American Jews are, in the middle of a ferocious, new wave of antisemitism. Again, graffiti, pamphlets, pseudo-journalism, and the like.

We know how this process ends. Hopefully not this time, but it’s only hope. The data is overwhelming. We’ve read the writing on the wall. We’ve already seen it happen. It happened in the USA recently.

Jews have been in Uruguay for a hundred years. Jews have had a good life in Uruguay. Uruguay was a strong supporter of Israel, voting among the first for the partition plan in 1947 at the UN. Although our community has dwindled over the years, our institutions are strong and our Jewish life is pluralistic and free. Mainly, most Uruguayan Jews are strong, committed Zionists. Many made Aliya over the years. Our youth-movements are our pride. Our bond with Israel is very strong and faithful, almost unconditional.

No wonder the situation after Oct7 has affected us so deeply. Antisemitism now is disguised as antizionism, but we Uruguayan Jews know very well that one and the other are the same. Except for a small minority of Jews, most of us know that our destiny is linked to Israel. As our inner conflicts as Jews many a time reflect the conflicts in Israel (political, cultural, religious), our standing among our fellow Uruguayans is very much conditioned by their judgment of the war. As facts develop and as it goes on for twenty months now, we know we must be watchful. It’s a huge challenge on all of us but mainly on our leadership.

So, in some sense, Uruguayan Jews, as safe as our lives have basically been in this country, have always been deeply aware of the fragility of any circumstance. Sooner or later a new wave of antisemitism arises and challenges us. In fact, it challenges us Jews and the whole country: the way our society respects us as a minority who has lived here for so long contributing so much is also a sign of the times.

Probably American Jews are now facing the same challenge. Like singer-composer Paul Simon wrote in his ‘American Tune’, ‘we’ve lived so well too long’. ‘The times they are-a-changing’ wrote another Jewish trobadour… May be North-American Jews can learn something from their fellow South-American siblings. Antisemitism is a disease that manifests itself under certain contexts; the symptoms are unequivocal. We are going through an acute phase of the disease right now.

Am Israel Chai!