CANTOR’S CORNER

In the Passover haggadah, we sing Vehi She’amda, which teaches us that, in every generation, there are multiple enemies that seek our people’s destruction. This text strikes a chord this year. It is understood at a level I never thought I would in my lifetime. We are witnessing this attempt today as we watch a global effort to destroy the Jewish state and pressure society to cast out any Jew who sees Israel as their homeland.

People took to the streets the day after the most horrific, the most gruesome, and the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Why? They were inspired. They understood that this massacre was motivated by a desire to destroy the Jewish state, and those who hit the streets on October 8 share this motivation. They expressed praise for the Palestinians who committed these atrocities. They expressed outrage at Israel’s very existence. And six months later, they still do. The movement has grown.

The situation on campuses, particularly at Columbia, is appalling.

Passover is a holiday that celebrates our freedom to be a people with a religion. It is a holiday of triumph. It is also a holiday of hope and promise. The Israelites left Egyptian bondage and began their journey to The Promised Land, the land of Israel.

The haggadah recognizes that eternal danger, that specter of mortal danger that hangs over the Jewish people generation after generation. Yes, we always survive. But we mustn’t take comfort in that. We survived the Inquisition. We survived the Holocaust. But surviving isn’t enough. Who wants to survive a horrific calamity inflicted by an enemy who hates us instead of defeating that enemy?

Israel is fighting an existential war on multiple fronts, all spearheaded by Iran. The multiple fronts include America. We see that battle on our campuses, online, in the arts, and elsewhere. Israel will defeat our those who seek its destruction. But what about here? Those who seek to expunge Jews from acceptable society cannot win – but they are indeed gaining ground. How will we overcome them? How will we secure our place in this society? If we don’t, the future of American Jewry is in question. Let me rephrase that. The future of American Jewry, insofar as it is part of the global Jewish people, is in question.

I encourage you to read an article I wrote in The Times of Israel last November about what will be recorded in Jewish history in 100 years from now. I write about how Jewish history will view the American experience. Click here to read “Jewish History 100 Years From Now”.

When singing Vehi Sheamda this year, let us consider what role we can have in ensuring that the Jewish people overcome the threats we’re encountering right here in the US.