American anti-Semitism

           Tonight, I went to an LGBTQ+ dinner outing.  Our organization was partnering with another one to put on the event.  I sat down outside Union Market across the table from someone from the other organization named Ezra.  We were talking about healthcare in the U.S. and I mentioned that I loved my healthcare in Tel Aviv because of the digitized medical records.

            Ezra glared at me and then said: “Americans fund your healthcare system so you can bomb everyone to pieces.”

            I promptly excused myself and said, “that was rude” as I walked towards the other end of the table to escape extreme discomfort from Ezra’s anti-Semitism.

            It was an awful way to spend my evening. Ezra knows nothing about me.  Ezra had talked to me for all of five minutes.  He didn’t know anything about me, let alone what my political views are.  Nothing.  All Ezra knew was I lived in Tel Aviv and that I liked Israeli digitized medical records and that was enough for his anti-Semitic floodgates to open.

            A few nights before, I was sitting in my favorite Thai restaurant when an Uber Eats deliveryman walked through the door talking loudly on speakerphone.  Shouting in the middle of the restaurant, he said: “Israel is disgusting.”  He then went on a ten-minute diatribe about the evils of Israel.  When I asked him to please turn off his speakerphone so my friend and I could eat a pleasant dinner, he glared at me and even yelled into his speaker “these people at the restaurant want me to turn off the speakerphone.”  And he continued to spout venom as my friend and I tried to tune him out.

            These two examples are on the progressive end of the spectrum.  But progressives are not the only people trying to box Jews in and caricature us.

            I recently met a far-right conservative gay man.  After telling me that trans people were disgusting (which is a disgusting comment in and of itself), he asked me “why don’t you vote Republican?  The Democrats hate Israel.  Republicans love Israel.”  To which I responded: “yes, many Republicans support Israel – perhaps more so than some Democrats.  But many Democrats support Israel too.  I also vote for a candidate based on many issues and see whose values align best with mine.”  His lecturing continued unabated as he then tried to teach me about Judaism!  He claimed all Jews believed sex should only be between a man and a woman (he clearly hasn’t heard of Reform and Conservative Judaism) and that God controls everything (again, depends on the Jew and the interpretation of Judaism).  The irony of a Catholic guy trying to explain Judaism to me was not lost on me and I decided to disengage from the conversation.

            Donald Trump himself has repeatedly goaded Jews by saying that if he loses, it’ll be their fault.  That Israel “won’t exist in two years” if he’s not elected.  All the while, he praises the leader of Qatar and hosts him at his estate in Mar-a-Lago- the same Qatar that hosts Hamas leadership.

            Democrats are no better.  The Squad and their allies regularly trade in anti-Semitic rhetoric about Israel “hypnotizing the world” and unfounded claims that Israel is “committing genocide”, rather than fighting an incredibly complicated war in the face of the worst terrorist attack in Israeli history.  They berate Israel for defending itself while trying to deny it funds for the Iron Dome which protects its civilians from Hamas and Hezbollah rocket fire.

            America has always been home to anti-Semites. Just like many countries in the Western World.  But American Jews, particularly the generation of my grandparents and parents, enjoyed a kind of cultural, economic, and political renaissance.  We have achieved must that we can be proud of in this Goldene Medine – the Golden Land.

            The question is what next?  What, if any, future do we have in a country where from left and right we get grilled, stereotyped, yelled at, boxed in, and denigrated?  Where we can’t go to a LGBTQ+ dinner or a Thai restaurant in peace?  Where we are told which party we “have” to vote for based on how someone else perceives our interests, rather than what we feel is in our own best interest?

            As my mom would say, “enough already!” Jews – American, Israeli, French, Russian, Moroccan, Turkish, Ethiopian – from any and everywhere.  We are one of the oldest civilizations on earth.  We founded the modern day miracle of the State of Israel, imperfect as she can be sometimes.  We have gotten elected to office, built innovative businesses, and founded incredible institutions of learning.  All while preserving and evolving our traditions in an increasingly complex world.

            We will not give in to anti-Semitism.  From any person.  From any gender or sexuality.  From any ethnicity.  From any political party.  For every anti-Semitic anecdote I’ve shared in this blog, I can provide 100 others.  The time has come for us to raise our heads up high because we are God’s chosen people.  That phrase may mean different things to different people, but I personally believe it should be a source of pride that our very essence is infused with holiness, and of course great responsibility as well.  A responsibility to the planet, to the other peoples of the world, and yes, to ourselves.

            May we find the little blessings along the way, the allies who make our lives better, and may we always pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  May better days come our way.  And soon.  Amen.

p.s.- my cover photo is of me at Rosh Hanikra, Israel’s border with Lebanon.  My prayers go out to Israel’s north and the civilians suffering in Lebanon because of Hezbollah’s reign of terror.  May we one day all know peace.