Jody and I were married in 1992. We honeymooned in Europe on our way to Israel for a year, and spent Rosh Hashanah at the Great Synagogue in Florence. One of my most vivid memories, though, is not the grandeur of the synagogue, nor the unique nusah,dating back to the Spanish Expulsion of 1492. Rather, what I remember most clearly is the security.
There were police guards with Uzi machine guns; you had to show ID, and pass through a metal detector. No bags and no cameras of any kind were allowed. I remember saying to Jody, “Aren’t we lucky to live in the US, where we just don’t worry about this kind of anti-Semitism?!”
Here we are 27 years later in Toronto, and I have a responsibility to draw your attention this Kol Nidre night to the Emergency Evacuation Plan materials at your seat. Please make sure you read this material and note where the exit doors are. Follow the directions printed and those of our staff and ushers in case of an emergency. And please note, if we find ourselves in a lockdown situation, meaning there is an imminent threat in the building, we will be barricading the doors to the lobby and if possible evacuating the sanctuary through the two doors to my right. Be mindful of the potential for “bottleneck” in the back. And be sure to walk, not run. Today, in North America, we do indeed worry about – and plan for – that kind of anti-Semitism.
The US is the largest Jewish Diaspora community in the world. For centuries it was the Goldena Medina whose streets were paved in gold, and for which freedom from persecution was the opportunity for the Jewish people. In 2018, the Anti-Defamation League tracked 1,879 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism, hate speech and violence in the US. Included in that is the deadliest attack on Jews in US history: the murder of 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The total number of incidents in 2018 was 99% higher than in 2015.
Here at home, B’nai Brith’s League for Human Rights stated in its annual report that “For the third consecutive year, records were set in 2018 for anti-Semitism in Canada.”
And you will be surprised to know that the total number of anti-Semitic incidents reported in Canada is actually higher than that in the US. 2,041 incidents were reported in 2018. That’s a 16.5% increase from the year before. The only difference between our two countries is the level of violent attacks due to easier access to guns south of our border. As Jews, this fact should be an important element of the gun policy discussion emerging in our municipal, provincial and federal political debates.
Europe is experiencing sharp rises in anti-Semitism too. Doug Saunders, in an opinion in The Globe and Mail, titled: “‘Never Again’ faces its biggest test in Europe” writes that “Elections in the two largest German states saw more people voting for an extreme-right party than any region of Germany since the 1930s.”
“Some are now arguing,” he explains, that “a dip in the chill waters of real-life politics may well turn [these extreme rightists] more moderate and tolerant.” He correctly notes that “the last time an extreme-right wing party was given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to enter a coalition in Germany, it did not work out well for anyone.”
Yet, look at Hungary, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Austria. They seem to have forgotten the lessons of mid-20th century Europe. In each of these countries in recent years, extreme-right wing parties have entered ruling coalitions and as a result anti-Semitism has risen drastically.
Unfortunately, right wing parties joining a governing coalition is not a necessary ingredient for these spikes in hate. In France, anti-Semitism is up 71%; in the UK, Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, has been consistently criticized “for anti-Semitic tropes [that] were being widely propagated by him and by those around him.” And the prospect of his becoming Prime Minister of one of the world’s greatest democracies is not so far-fetched today.
What makes European anti-Semitism so troubling is that this is happening despite all the education that has taken place on the continent since the war! I remember sitting several years ago with my friend Rabbi Herman Savittz”l. Distressed by this fact, he simply said to me, “Why would you expect anti-Semitism to disappear? It’s been only 70 years since the war and this is the world’s oldest hatred.”
He’s right. Our liturgy tonight is imprinted with the mark of anti-Semitism through the ages. Many of the prayers and piyyutim we recite over Yom Kippur take us back in time, through what Max Artz in his commentary Justice and Mercy describes as “an expedition of painful historical reminiscence.”
Kol Nidre itself, through misinterpretation, has led to one of the classic claims of the anti-Semite. Kol Nidre — all vows, bonds, promises, obligations and oaths...shall be absolved. For the anti-Semite, Kol Nidre released the Jew from his vows, rendering him untrustworthy and unreliable, and therefore, unfit to transact business with and in some cases unfit to live.
“Aleinu”comes from 12th century France. It was the final prayer sung by the Jews of Mayence as they were being led to their deaths at the hands of the Crusaders, who, on their way to conquer Jerusalem, made it a point to destroy the “infidels” in their midst. As they did, they repeated the call of Pope Urban II who riled them up with “Deus vult!” or, “God wills it!”
Thousands of years later, we still hear the same rhetoric and we know where it leads. Historian Deborah Lipstadt, in her recent book, Anti-Semitism Here and Now writes, “Genocide begins with words and not with acts of violence. But these words are often the precursors to violence.”
Andrew Marantz, a New Yorker staff writer, makes this point abundantly clear in his recent article Free Speech Is Killing Us.
There has never been a bright line between word and deed. Yet for years, the founders of Facebook and Twitter and 4chan and Reddit...tried to pretend that the noxious speech prevalent on those platforms wouldn’t metastasize into physical violence. ... No one believes that anymore. ... Not after the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, VA [and] not after the massacres in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, [and] two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Christchurch shooter, like so many of his ilk, had spent years on social media trying to advance the cause of white power. ... He murdered 52 people. ... Noxious speech is causing tangible harm.”
No wonder the rabbis compare a person’s tongue to the charmer’s snake. “He who allows his tongue to slander is guilty because a person’s speech often causes death and destruction to all who hear it.” (Rashi on Kohelet 10:11)
Our tradition has always understood the potency and danger of words. On this holiest of nights, over and over again, we pray for forgiveness for the words we use sinfully. “Al het shehetanu lifanecha b’vitui s’fatayim — for the sin we have committed before You with the utterance of the lips. Al het shehetanu lifanecha b’dibbur peh — for the sin we have committed before You in speech. Al het shehetanu lifanecha — fully one third of the confession of sins in al het relate to speech; not to deeds, but to words.
The al het that haunts me most this evening, though, is this: V’al het shekhatanu l’fanekha bi’v’li da’at — For the sin of omission.” The images of the Neo Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA, with hundreds of people marching with torches, brandishing AK-47s in the open, shouting “blood and soil” and “the Jews will not replace us” was my wake-up call that the horrors of anti-Semitism are possible anywhere, even here in North America. And no, there were not “good people on both sides.” V’al het shekhatanu l’fanekha bi’v’li da’at — the sin of omission is what opens the door for what had previously been marginalized behaviour to become mainstream.
Words are potent. So what do we do with our words this sacred evening of Kol Nidre? What vows, promises, obligations and oaths should we make?
For starters, let’s vow not to commit the sin of omission. We know what silence brings. It brings death. Tonight, let’s vow to remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, who famously wrote:
In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I was not a Jew... Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Catholic. Then they came for me — and by that time there was nobody left to speak up.
I was privileged to meet his widow twenty years ago and I keep a picture of her with both Jody and me in my office, so that I will never forget Martin Niehmoller’s words.
Let’s acknowledge that it is really hard to speak up today. There is so much to respond to it is numbing; the breadth of hatred and evil today renders us mute. And dafkah that’s part of the strategy of those who promulgate hate. Overwhelm us and we will shut down; we will remain silent.
So let’s make a vow this Kol Nidre. Let’s vow to speak to our friends and neighbours and explain to them what anti-Semitism is, how to recognize it and how to respond effectively to it. Let’s vow to speak to our leaders and the leaders of other countries of good will to condemn the rising tide of global anti-Semitism and press the issue wherever it is appropriate in whatever means are appropriate.
And let’s be clear about this too; anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism when it is the only “anti” being promoted. It is perfectly legitimate to criticize the policies of the Israeli government with regard to its treatment of its Arab citizens, the peace process (or lack thereof), settlement construction over the green line, religious pluralism and more. God knows, no one criticizes their government more than Israelis themselves. But as long as those who claim to only be “anti-Zionist” refuse to accept the right of the Jewish people to live in secure, recognizable boundaries with the right of self-determination, it is absolutely anti-Semitism.
And that’s why BDS is really anti-Semitic. The third plank of the BDS platform is the “right of return of Palestinian refugees and their decedents to Israel.” Let’s do the math: There were around 700,000 Arab refugees from the War of Independence. Today they and their decedents number more than 3 million. This policy would ensure the end of Israel as a Jewish state, which is why no Israeli party, none, not even the leftist parties, can support BDS. They all recognize it for what it is, a plan to end the State of Israel.
Let’s also be clear, and consistent, and call out anti-Semitism as anti-Semitism, no matter from which political wing it emanates. All this mishegas about the “right” and the “left” is designed to distract us. Instead of focusing on the issue, we argue over who is the bigger anti-Semite!
Bari Weiss of The New York Times wrote powerfully about this. “Neo-Nazis, in a way, are straightforward,” she said, “We know they want us dead. Anti-Semites with PhDs, the ones who defend their bigotry as enlightened thinking, are harder to fight. And so North American Jews are confronting two fears at the same time, one from without and one from within: Being shot by white supremacists. And being made out to be them.”
Let’s vow tonight, together, not to fall for this distraction. Let us find our voices. Let us speak and let us act. For example, some Beth Tzedec members have chosen to support the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy led by Dr. Charles Small. The Institute attracts an impressive group of supporters, including Professor Irwin Cotler, Professor Irving Abella, Professor Deborah Lipstadt, Professor Gil Troy, as well as Natan Sharansky, who became chair in July. I recently learned of their work, especially their Summer Institute at Oxford, that invites leading academics from around the world to develop accredited curricula for university courses on anti-Semitism. Their mission is to fight anti-Semitism on the battlefield of ideas. Whether from the right or the left, let’s vow to join that mission and speak up whenever and from wherever anti-Semitism is expressed.
Our Canadian leaders have been excellent on this matter. Both Prime Ministers Harper and Trudeau have consistently and unequivocally called out and condemned anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in Canada and on the world stage.
That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens because our Canadian Jewish community works diligently to keep Jews and other like-minded Canadians informed on the issues, and actively ensures our elected representatives and leaders are informed and supported in areas of concern to us.
That’s why we were proud to partner with CIJA for one of our Hot Topics over Rosh Hashanah, discussing the issues of import to Canadian Jews this election cycle. If you’re not on CIJA’s email list, subscribe. When they offer advocacy training, enroll. When they send an alert asking for letters, emails and calls to MP’s or party leaders, let’s vow to do it. And if you can, call. Yes, people still use their phones to speak!
Every contact matters, but the person who takes the time to pick up the phone and call directly is weighted more in the calculation of political impact. Let’s vow to be informed. Let’s vow to speak. And let’s vow to speak and act as possible with one community voice.
Let’s also vow to call out those who display hatred of other groups. Lipstadt writes, “Antisemitism flourishes in a society that is intolerant of others, be they immigrants or racial and religious minorities. When expressions of contempt for one group become normative, it is virtually inevitable that similar hatred will be directed at other groups. Like a fire set by an arsonist, passionate hatred reaches well beyond its intended target. Fighting against antisemitism means protecting others who are persecuted, even if they may not be perceived to be our friends.”
Did you know that the most repeated phrase in the Torah is “Ki garim hayitem b’M’itzrayim — for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt”? Our tradition has an unequivocal concern for the vulnerable in society — refugees, the poor and those who are alone — because we as a people know what it’s like to be vulnerable, whether in Egypt, Rome, Spain or Europe. JIAS, our community’s immigrant aid agency, was created to help Jewish refugees because they were Jews. Now, it helps refugees because we are Jews.
So let’s vow to make certain that Canada continues to be an example in the world of compassion, of compromise, of civil discourse, of the strength of diversity and of the Jewish imperative for caring for the vulnerable and welcoming of the stranger.
David Suissa, the editor and publisher of the LA Jewish Journal, argues that it is precisely at this moment of increased vulnerability that we Jews should rally around what he calls a “Big Judaism” approach. Big Judaism asks us to share our big ideas – our Jewish values and imperatives – with the world. From the serenity of Shabbat, to the importance of civil debate, to the impact of learning, to the Jewish imperative of hesed, tzedakah and Tikkun Olam — social justice — we have much that we have and can continue to contribute to building a just society.
To this end, in addition to my vow to be vocal and active in the face of anti-Semitism, I am vowing this year to get more involved in interfaith work. We at Beth Tzedec remember last year when the Muslim community came to us after Pittsburgh and showed their concern and solidarity with a ring of peace around Beth Tzedec. We did the same after the attack in Québec City, and more recently those in New Zealand and in Sri Lanka. I’m tired of reacting to bad news. I want to know my neighbours. I want to have the important conversations before bad things happen and I want to work together on common causes that improve relationships, and more importantly, I want to work to marginalize those who would disrupt them.
That’s why we at Beth Tzedec are reengaging with the Neighbourhood Interfaith Group. For thirty years, a small group of clergy and lay leaders have been meeting and hosting programs to build bridges toward ending bias, bigotry and racism in Toronto. While Beth Tzedec has been a part of it, I believe that now it should be a Beth Tzedec focus—a Big Judaism approach will allow us as Jews to translate our traditional wisdom and values into positive interfaith connection and action toward ending hate in our larger community.
So I encourage you to vow to participate in some way this year with our Neighbourhood Interfaith Group. Start by joining us at the Textile Museum on October 20th, for the Tapestry of Spirit exhibit. It is an ambitious and inclusive social project to cross-stitch the first five books of the Bible as well as selections from the Scriptures and Qur’an, reflecting on the theme of creation. It is an immersive installation that has been collectively created by almost 1500 volunteers of many faiths. Following the exhibit, there will be a conversation with clergy from the three faiths of NIG to reflect on and to process our experience together. You can purchase tickets on Eventbrite.
And if you want to be part of a small group that meets regularly with our neighbours to build a more meaningful relationship around Big Jewish ideas, let me know. Next month, I am hosting my interfaith colleagues to strengthen our support of NIG and to identify partners willing to engage with us in small-group dialogue.
As David Suissa says, “We can’t allow armed guards in front of synagogues to become the emblem of modern-day Judaism.” Yes, we have to take the precautions necessary to provide for our safety. And yes, we have to call out every incident of anti-Semitism and hate. But we must also do more.
David continues, “If a synagogue finds a swastika on its walls, it ought to organize a Torah rally and strengthen its Jewish programming. If Jewish students find anti-Semitic pamphlets, they ought to throw a Jewish pop-up party on campus.”
On this Kol Nidre, let’s vow to fight the resurgence of anti-Semitism, for we must. And we will of course protect ourselves and our community. But let’s also vow to do more. After all, the best way to respond to hate is by engaging others with our enduring Jewish values. Let’s vow to double down on acting on those values; those are the big ideas that make our lives and the world a better place.
