To fight antisemitism, let’s teach our kids that Judaism is worth loving
Columbus is facing down an antisemitism problem, and one of the best ways to combat it is by teaching young people to love being Jewish.
Just last month, an ex-ohio National Guardsman was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison after dealing in illegal guns and posting a number of times about wanting to shoot up Jewish institutions, among many other ugly and hateful things he said.
Individuals like that want us to feel antipathy towards being Jewish. They want us to feel it is a negative thing, that we are at a disadvantage because of who we are and what we believe.
In response, we need to teach everyone — especially young people — to love being Jewish. That is the special sauce that turns Jewish education into something that lasts a lifetime — and can weather any act of hatred we may face.
In fact, it is loving being Jewish that got us the Torah in the first place.
There is a midrash (biblical interpretation) that tells how G-d offered the Torah to various nations, all of whom did not accept it.
“We want to know what is written there,” they said, and found that for one reason or another, the Torah was incompatible with their way of life. But when G-d approached the Jewish People, we said, “We will do, and then we will hear” — we were willing to take the Torah at face value, no questions asked, inspection waived. And seeing how much we loved the Torah, G-d took us up on the offer.
But not before He got guarantors.
Sure, we said we would keep the Torah. But who would guarantee that we would indeed keep our word? We offered our sages and prophets as guarantors — G-d said no.
We offered our ancestors as guarantors and again, G-d said no. But then we offered that our children would be our guarantors, and G-d agreed.
How could mere children being guarantors be more powerful than our sages, prophets and our ancestors? Because the love of being Jewish that we transmit to our children is what keeps us going as a nation. It is what has energized a chain of Jewish tradition reaching back thousands of years — a chain strong enough to withstand challenge after challenge.
A chain that has withstood attacks, expulsions, torture and genocide, because try as they might – even the worst antisemites cannot make us stop loving being Jewish.
That is the message we share each week at Chabad Hebrew School, and it’s one that has resonated here in Columbus, especially amidst these local acts of hatred. The message we give our young people is one of being proud to be an integral part of a millenia-old Jewish community.
The upcoming holiday of Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, and the major observance is hearing the 10 commandments read aloud. A longstanding tradition to enjoy dairy desserts like cheesecake and ice cream symbolizes that we embrace the Torah’s teachings with joy.
Every year, Chabad of Columbus throws a special Shavuot party for children so that they can enthusiastically embrace their heritage with a new flavor not just in ice cream - but also a passion for being Jewish. (All are welcome to join our party this year on Friday, May 26).
This is the path we must take to confront hatred. Not just a reactionary, defensive posture of taking steps to alleviate the effects of hatred on our young people. Instead, we need to be proactive. We need to teach our children that Judaism is worth loving — come what may.
Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann is the executive director of Chabad Columbus and the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center.