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essay
Hate
M
aya Angelou
once said,
“Hate, it has
caused a lot of problems
in the world, but it has
not solved one yet.”
There is so much
Jane I.
truth in that quote. That
Borenstein
truth continues to prove
itself century after century. Currently, it
feels as if hate is more prominent in the
world than love. When will it be enough
for a change to be made?
Was it not the forced labor and
brutal abuse of African Americans for
centuries?
Was it not the malicious torture and
genocide of 6 million Jews?
Was it not the terrorist groups or
the communists or the society of
closeminded people who feel they need
to control who one loves or identifies as?
Decades later, I am still being
underestimated just because of my
gender.
And now, 11 dead. Eleven Jews are
dead. They were not just Jews; they
were people — people with lives, jobs,
friends and family who loved them.
They are now no longer on this earth.
They were taken from this world by hate.
More accurately described as blind hate
brought on by the fear of those who look
different or believe in a different faith.
I consider myself very lucky to be a
part of a community filled with love
and acceptance. I am so very grateful
for my parents who taught me never
to judge someone for how they look or
what they believe. As privileged as I am,
many others can’t say the same. Many
people grow up in a community where
they are taught to be ashamed of who
they are. That is not OK. As Americans,
we should never feel ashamed for being
ourselves.
My generation is supposed to be the
generation of change. We are supposed
to be fighting the hate, not allowing it
to take over our innocence and the light
that fills us.
As hard as it may be, we must keep
fighting. We must keep fighting even
when we are surrounded by the hurtful
words trying to tear us down.
We must keep fighting even when it
physically hurts to keep our heads us.
We must make our voices heard, let
the world know enough is enough.
We cannot let this tragic event be
forgotten.
Let our hearts fill this world with love.
Let our voices stand as one.
Let our words inspire hope in those
who need it.
Let us stand together and support
each other.
Stand with me, and fight for the ones
who can’t fight for themselves and never
lose hope.
Let’s let love prevail. ■
in the U.S. Unlike decades past there
are almost no parts of American society
where Jews are excluded.
Moreover, America’s robust civil
society is still capable of protecting
minorities and enforcing many social
taboos against bigotry. So many dif-
ferent communities and civic leaders
— Muslims, Christians, local civic
leaders, local elected leaders, non-prof-
its, law enforcement — rallied behind
Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. In the
aftermath of Charlottesville, many of
the racist marchers returned home to
such derision of families and employ-
ers that some appear to have curtailed
their involvement in white nationalist
activities. Don’t expect Jews to become
a beleaguered minority group in the
United States anytime soon.
But there is no reason to be
Pollyanna-ish about the longer term.
Attitudes do change. Anti-Semitic taint-
ed conspiracy theories can take hold
— witness the demonization of Soros.
Fact-based news and information sourc-
es can lose their legitimacy. There is no
ironclad rule that American civil society
will continue to play a significant role
in enforcing standards of decency and
protection of minorities.
Does anyone doubt that America’s
polarized political process is erod-
ing democratic norms? Can Jewish
Americans be long comfortable in their
position if other racial, ethnic and reli-
gious minorities are singled out and
demonized?
Many challenges face the Jews of
the United States. To name just a few:
assimilation, lack of Jewish education,
the growing gap between Israelis and
American Jews, and an aging popula-
tion. Yet addressing these problems will
provide little solace if the U.S. becomes
a place where anti-Semitism is on the
rise and Jewish life becomes increasingly
insecure.
If Pittsburgh tells us anything it is
that the health of American democracy,
the health of civil society, should be a
Jewish priority. Of course, the health of
America’s liberal institutions should be
a priority for all Americans. Jews alone
will not fix American disfunction.
For Jews, however, the historical
record makes it clear that the weakening
of civil society and the breakdown of
American democracy would be particu-
larly ominous. ■
Jane I. Borenstein, 15, is a sophomore at
Cranbrook Kingswood. She lives in Birmingham
and attends Temple Beth-El. Her aunt lives within
a half-mile of Tree of Life synagogue where 11
Jews were killed by an anti-Semite.
commentary
What Pittsburgh Tells Us
About the Jewish Future
W
hen 11 Jews
are gunned
down in
synagogue on Shabbat
by a white nationalist,
it’s hard to not believe
that something funda-
Ira N. Forman
mental has changed for
American Jews. What
made it even more
disorienting for me was that while evil
reigned in Pittsburgh I was in Moscow
for a conference on anti-Semitism.
Normally, at such conferences one dis-
cusses the threats to European Jewish
communities. There was nothing nor-
mal about this conference. Instead peo-
ple were obsessed with the news from
the United States.
What might this mean for American
Jewry? In the second decade of the 21st
century French Jews have experienced a
sustained uptick in anti-Semitic violence
— including terrorist killings. As the
violence intensified, aliyah grew dramat-
ically from 2012 to 2015.
As far back as 2012 a survey of the
Fundamental Rights Agency of the
European Union found that nearly
one-half of French Jewry had thought
of leaving over the previous five years
because of anti-Semitism. In 2018 the
prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn govern-
8
November 15 • 2018
jn
ment has caused, according to one
communal survey, nearly 40 percent of
British Jews to consider similar options.
These are not the only sizable Jewish
communities that are feeling the heat of
a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
It is only natural for people to wonder
in the wake of Pittsburgh if the golden
age of American Jewry is coming to
an end. It is a time that calls for a lev-
el-headed assessment of the true nature
of the threat, the resilience of the com-
munity and what the future might hold
for American Jews.
We can make one prediction with
some degree of confidence. For the
foreseeable future, Jewish institutions —
synagogues, Jewish day schools, Jewish
Community Centers — will no longer
be the open and accessible facilities they
once were. From armed guards, to cam-
eras, to onerous procedures for checking
guests, communal security will begin to
look much more European.
Yet America is still very different
than Europe. The American Jewish
community’s role in American society
will not deteriorate any time soon. The
community’s communal institutions are
strong. Attitudinal anti-Semitism is very
low in the United States. Surveys show
that Judaism in recent years has become
the most admired religious community
Ira N. Forman is a visiting professor and senior
fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for
Jewish Civilization and served as U.S. Special
Envoy of the Office to Monitor and Combat
Anti-Semitism in the U.S. State Department until
January 2017.