Hi Barbara, thanks for writing. I totally understand what you are saying.

What I mean by “don’t argue with reality”..is that to insist that we are a nation like all others, or that we should just be “surviving” …despite everything that is happening to us over and over and over- is not to look at history and actually learn from it.

Let’s look at reality without fear- let’s acknowledge that no matter how much Jews have tried to assimilate and be like every other nation, that did not happen. Antisemitism did not allow it. And now it’s happening again. The massacre in the synagogue is, I am afraid, only a part of a growing wave of Antisemitism that is increasing world wide. This is going to get worse.

And who would have thought that this is possible just a few years ago??

My point is- we need to go further than our old“logic” and seek to get to the depth of this phenomenon.

Israel may try to be just like every other nation, but does the world treat it so? Is Israel not held up to a single standard no other nation is expected to uphold? Is the United Nation not obsessed with Israel and it’s “faults”… there are many examples. The research I quoted in the article shows the disproportionate underlying sentiments that people have in regards to Israel.

And by the way, Herzle did not intend for Israel to be just like any nation, he and other founding fathers intended for it to achieve the mission of being “a light unto the nations”…a model society that would give a great example to the world of unity and lofty values.

So is Israel succeeding in being a nation like all others? no. Are Jews succeeding in yet another attempt of being just like everyone else? no. So isn’t it time we ask ourselves why?
Or will we argue with this reality and keep on insisting that we are just like any nation? This is a folly, for it keeps us repeating the same mistakes of the past.

There is something inside us that is afraid of this, that hates this…that is repelled by the notion that we have a mission, a responsibility. It is also why you see so many Jews who turn against the state of Israel, and join BDS or other anti- Israel groups. But it won’t help us to run away, it never has.

I have encountered Antisemitism myself. I felt the raw emotion that is there and I realized that no logic can speak to it. I realized it is something deeper. And I searched for a deeper, higher reason.

I believe we deserve more than to just “survive”. I believe we deserve to understand, and to find real solutions that will help us thrive.

Our sages do not only give us the solution to Antisemitism, but the way to transform it into support, love and connection.