WHY JEWISH PEOPLE SHOULD BE AT THE TABLE
“Table” is a great metaphor for the place where important things happen: the table in the tabernacle for the sacrifices, the Shabbat meal table as a stand-in for the sacrificial altar which stood in Jerusalem, and the dining room table where a whole lot of Jewish life happens. The “Shulchan Aruch,” written in the 16th century and among the most influential Jewish books, translates literally to “set table.”
If Judaism is a religion, then it seems obvious that Judaism needs a seat at the table. If instead of talking about a religion, we talk about a people, then Jews need to be at the table to make an inclusive table for all. As a group, we Jewish people are way overrepresented as victims of hate crimes, as hate crimes are rampant and their frequency is rising. Important organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee must be fully present to protect all who are threatened.
Beyond religion and peoplehood, if we understand Judaism to include a message of care and concern for all peoples, then we must be around the table of ameliorating the plight of so many locally in need. Within the original texts held sacred by Jews for thousands of years, we learn that each and every human being is created in the Divine Image, that we are obligated to feed and care for all in need, and that we should have the same set of laws for the native born and the immigrant/refugee/ asylum seekers. Jewish Family Service of San Diego County, along with groups from synagogues throughout San Diego, have an important voice, presence and partnership with others doing this sacred work. Finally, there is one more area in which the Jewish voice should be represented at the table. We live at a time in which we have become much more aware and honoring of the history of the land and its Indigenous people. Land acknowledgments are a standard part of all of my syllabi at San Diego State University and are recited at many official programs and meetings. Similarly, the Jewish people have a history of over 3,000 years, beginning as an ancient kingdom, within the land of Israel. Identified as Canaan in the Bible, later identified as Israel and Judah, still later as Palestine, the Jewish people have been living on that land. Since the original kingdom, the Jewish people have been attacked, conquered, oppressed, occupied, and even partially exiled, by many other kingdoms and empires, but always some Jews have lived within Israel, and others in the diaspora who remained connected.
First the Assyrians of Shalmaneser V in the 8th century B.C., followed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in the 6th century B.C., Cyrus of Persia also in the 6th century B.C., Alexander of Macedonia in the 4th century B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes in the 2nd century B.C., the Roman Empire of Titus in the 1st century A.D., the caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab in the 7th century A.D. and Suleiman and the Ottomans in the 16th century A.D. And this is the condensed history. Finally, in November of 1947 the United Nations voted to create two nation-states, recognizing that more than one people have claim to the same land. It seemed then that the best way to share was to cut the land in half. Six months later the Jewish state was born — Israel.
So at the table of Indigenous peoples who have been conquered and oppressed in their land, the Jewish people offer a voice as a people who have both returned to independence in their native land and have maintained a very strong diasporic community. Approximately 50 percent of world Jewry lives in the state of Israel and roughly 50 percent live outside of Israel.
For the curious who would like to think about what it means to be a people who survived thousands of years without independence, I highly recommend you read about the time the Dalai Lama invited a group of Jewish leaders to Dharamsala to discuss this issue. You can read about it in Roger Kamenetz’s wonderful account of this meeting, “The Jew in the Lotus.”
So why should Jews be at the table? Well, depending on which table we are talking about — religious, social justice, Indigenous peoples — the Jewish people have relevant teachings and lived experiences, and are directly affected by the discussion at the table as part of the fabric of our San Diego community. I look forward to sharing together at the table.