History ‘rhyming’ in worst possible way
Mark Twain noted that, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.” We keep telling ourselves we’re more enlightened than the America of Twain’s era, but 2019 has begged to differ in more ways than we ever could have imagined.
Last Wednesday, Jewish communities around the world observed Yom HaShoah to commemorate the more than 6 million people murdered during the Nazi Holocaust.
Every community of notable size, including here in Stark County, Ohio, has within it people who have a direct connection to the Holocaust. So, every time an attack occurs in our midst, it’s hard not to think of those who probably never dreamed they still would be fighting their grandparents’ battles in America, of all places, in 2019.
Rabbi Terry Bookman, author of “Beyond Survival: How Judaism Can Thrive in the 21st Century,” said he’s more saddened than shocked that another synagogue has been attacked. A pioneer of the Chavurah Movement, Bookman served congregations in Milwaukee and Miami until his retirement in 2015.
“I wish it was unbelievable, but we have have seen this so many times, and not just in the Jewish community,” he said. “Three black churches were just burned in my friend’s parish in Louisiana. There was the church attack in Sri Lanka. We’re getting used to seeing this, but we should never ever be OK with this.”
Worldwide shift
Bookman said there has been a worldwide shift toward fundamentalism, ultra-nationalism and fascism. In its newly released audit, the Anti-Defamation League reports 1,879 anti-Semitic attacks occurred in 2018, more than double the 751 reported five years ago.
“There’s a context for what’s going on, and that context needs to be dealt with,” he said. “There have been great strides toward inclusion in our nation, but sadly there are people who feel left out. They are angry, and in their minds, they want to go back to some previous time when everything was good for them. But that was a fantasy. What was good for them was oppressive for others.”
Such people, Bookman said, feel threatened by the inclusion of people of color, gays, immigrants and “Jews, in my case.”
“Thanks to the NRA, they’re armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction,” he said. “Rather than finding a way to deal with their anger in a productive way, they’ve taken it out on those who are now benefiting from our society becoming more inclusive. And they’re being stirred up by a president who continues to use the kind of language that it feeds them and gives them a sense that the president’s on their side.”
Shared visions
Bookman, who grew up in New York City, said he doesn’t know if President Donald Trump is anti-Semitic or racist, but notes that he uses language to further his own interests.
“Not everybody needs to be an actual racist to get racists to do their bidding,” he said. “Trump’s language and policy definitely supports those who are racist. It’s said that we’re known by our friends. It’s no accident that David Duke supports this presidency.”
Bookman said Trump’s support of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are rooted in a shared vision of an Israel that excludes and oppresses others.
“My tradition teaches that in the time of the Messiah, everyone will have peace in their hearts,” he said. “Until that time, we have to realize there’s hate in the human heart, that evil is real. What we have to do as a society is say we will not tolerate it, and diminish the power of those who create it . ... It’s not just about Judaism. We cannot thrive unless everybody thrives. We cannot have peace unless everyone has peace.”
The question is not how did we got here, but rather, how do we escape it?
“We must pray for and embrace one another,” Bookman said. “We also need to vote for people who share the vision of an inclusive society that welcomes immigrants. This is a country made great by immigrants. My grandparents came from Eastern Europe. To embrace differences makes America a great place.”