DECEMBER 29 • 2022 | 5

for our fellow Jews. We fero-
ciously can disagree internally 
while standing completely 
united to external hate.
We are our brother’s keeper, 
and any Jew suffering from 
antisemitism is ultimately our 
responsibility. We must come 
together, despite our differ-
ences, and fight those who 
hate our people.
How can Jews stand togeth-
er against antisemitism while 
respecting our ideological 
divides? 
First, this isn’t a moment 
to try to win each other over. 
This is a moment to declare 
that every Jew matters and is 
worth protecting. We may dis-
agree on many things, but we 
can appreciate that difference 
doesn’t have to equal division. 
We cannot allow the toxic 
partisanship that has seeped 
into so much of our society to 

poison our communal spaces. 
There are no “Tikkun Olam” 
Jews. There are no “Trump” 
Jews. There are only Jews, 
and we need to remember the 
dictum — you shall love your 
neighbor as yourself.
Second, we should recog-
nize that self-defense starts 
with self-love and self-knowl-
edge. Jewish literacy is 
essential to our long-term 
survival. Many like to remark 
how Rabbi Abraham Joshua 
Heschel prayed with his 
feet — but he did so in part 
because he wrapped tefillin 
with his hands. This is not to 
say that we all need to observe 
our faith in the same manner. 
There are plenty of Jewish 
people who opt out of ritual 
entirely, and yet their connec-
tion to our peoplehood is as 
strong and as valid as those 
who daven, or pray, every 

day. But shared values that 
emanate from Torah still bind 
us as a people — we need to 
redouble, not just our efforts 
to pass on these values to our 
children in ways that relate to 
the next generation, but we 
also must relearn these values 
ourselves.
Third, we must never allow 
our ideological blinders to 
gloss over or ignore antisem-
itism from those who are 
generally our political allies. 
We must be morally firm and 
call out antisemitism where 
we see it and not just when 
it is convenient politically. 
We must be equally fierce in 
the political circles where we 
belong, where we ultimate-
ly have more influence and 
clout, as in simply calling out 
hatred by pointing to those on 
the other side.
During his lifetime, 

Rabbi Menachem Mendel 
Schneerson shared his wis-
dom about the fact that 
while every Jewish person 
is a unique individual, as 
a people we share a “basic 
commonality that joins us 
into a single collective enti-
ty.” The Lubavitcher Rebbe 
understood that this unity has 
sustained the Jewish people 
throughout history.
If we look to our ancestors, 
we can see examples of how 
holding together at times of 
strife has made our communi-
ty stronger. It’s quite possible 
that we may be living in one 
of those difficult periods 
again. I hope we can meet the 
moment. 

Jonathan A. Greenblatt is CEO and 

National Director of the ADL (Anti-

Defamation League) and the author of 

It Could Happen Here.

SOME WAYNE STATE STUDENTS 
HAVE A HARD TIME GOING 
TO SLEEP AT NIGHT. 

Not because they’re not tired. It’s because they don’t have a place to sleep. 

When President M. Roy Wilson and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived at Wayne 
State University, the first lady had a chance encounter with a medical student 
who was living out of her car. It was then that she decided something had to 
be done.

Mrs. Wilson founded the Helping Individuals Go Higher (HIGH) Program to 
combat homelessness among Wayne State University students. “Students 
shouldn’t feel trapped into making a choice of survival or success,” she said. 
“The HIGH Program was established to provide resources that assist students 
facing challenges as they pursue their education.”

Today, the HIGH Program provides resources like housing support, 
transportation, child care assistance, textbooks and school supplies, which 
help students stay on track to graduate.

The HIGH Program’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed — it was recognized 
by the U.S. Department of Education for its efforts. Thanks to this program, 
earning a degree is within any student’s grasp. Sometimes, all we need is 
a little help.

To learn more about the HIGH Program and to make a contribution — 
of any size — visit highprogram.wayne.edu.