CANTOR’S CORNER
Congregation Neveh Shalom’s Cantor Eyal Bitton shares his reflections on a range of topics, from current events to prayer and/or the parasha of the week.
The OFB, Campus Protests, and Antisemitism
2024-05-18
The Oregon Food Bank Statement on Israel
Like many in my community here in Portland, I was appalled by the Oregon Food Bank’s recent statement “Calling for a Ceasefire of Israel’s Violence against Palestinians”. The content was highly questionable and, at times, non-factual. The title itself reveals their bias. And the very fact that the Oregon Food Bank thought they should issue such a statement is cause for concern. The OFB makes the baseless accusation that Israel’s attacks are “indiscriminate” while the truth is that Israel’s approach is highly disciplined and its targets are chosen through superior intelligence gathering and other sources. And, what expertise in urban warfare does the Oregon Food Bank possess that it feels qualified to make such an accusation? The OFB blames Israel for issues relating to humanitarian aid and says nothing at all about Hamas. They are not outraged that Hamas uses healthcare facilities for military purposes. They are not outraged that Hamas steals humanitarian aid. They are not outraged that Hamas beats Palestinian civilians who attempt to get access to that humanitarian aid. They are not outraged that Hamas has even bombed humanitarian aid multiple times. Even Fatah, a major Palestinian political faction, charges that Hamas has “deliberately killed aid workers, stolen aid and manufactured a food crisis in Gaza”. In ignoring Hamas’ deliberate attempts to prevent humanitarian aid from getting to Palestinian civilians, the OFB takes the side not of Palestinians, but of Hamas. The OFB expresses outrage at the number of Palestinian deaths during the war. Their number is wrong, according to the UN. Not only that, but, shockingly, their number actually includes Hamas fighters. By including 14,000 Hamas fighters in their list of Palestinian dead, they are telling us that they count Hamas fighters as being innocent. They blame Islamophobia as fueling the war. They suggest that Israeli Jews are clouded by their experience of “World War II’s antisemitism”. Both of these reflect no understanding of the reality of Israel or the context of the conflict. Now, why did the OFB decide to make a statement about Israel/Gaza at all when the region of their mandate is Oregon and South Washington? Is it that the number of deaths is on a scale that is truly unimaginable? The number of civilian deaths may be 10,000 to 15,000 with a total of just under 25,000 included combatants. The US-Iraq war saw 461,000 dead. The Syrian Civil War saw 600,000 dead. These numbers far eclipse the numbers in Gaza. Any statement from the OFB? Why not? Why only now, against the Jewish state? What about population displacement? 1.7 million have been displaced. In Sudan, today, there are 8 million who have been displaced. Any statement from the OFB? Why not? Why only now, against the Jewish state? What about the food crisis? In 2022, 12 million Syrians suffered from a food crisis. Any statement from the OFB? In Sudan right now, they are experiencing a food crisis that affects 25 million people. Any statement from the OFB? Why not? Why only now, against the Jewish state? Many members of Portland’s Jewish community have expressed disappointment, shock, and anger regarding the Oregon Food Bank statement. For all the reasons above, their reaction is understandable.
The Campus Protest Poll
On a different topic, Jews across the US and Canada have been taken aback by the anti-Israel protests on university campuses. The pro-Israel protesters have been intimidating, in rhetoric and physically as well. Several colleges and universities have canceled their graduation ceremonies because they’re afraid that the pro-Palestinians will wreak havoc during these celebrations. As campuses got more and more hostile, a poll emerged last week that many Jews found encouraging. The poll showed that protesters represented only 8% of students. That’s a small number. That means that so many students did not participate in these protests. The poll also showed that students were not that interested in this or any conflict in the Middle East. While members of the Jewish community were encouraged by this survey, I personally am not. I don’t think the fact that the protesters represent a minority does not matter much. Why? Because the majority is silent. Because this silent majority is not preventing the hateful rhetoric on campus. Because the silent majority is not intervening when Jewish students and faculty are harassed or being prevented from accessing areas on campus. Because the silent majority continues to be irrelevant as various schools close their doors due to the very active and aggressive “Free Palestine” minority. It did not take a majority of people to close bridges. It did not take a majority of people to shut down highways. It did not take a majority of people to block access to airports. It took a small but loud, aggressive, and motivated group of people to create a great deal of turmoil and to have a real effect on campus life and on students’ sense of safety and belonging.
The Fight Against Antisemitism
With both the Oregon Food Bank statement and the campus protest survey, it is hard to draw the conclusion that we Jews have been effective in fighting antisemitism. More and more, it feels like we are losing the fight against antisemitism. Losing doesn’t mean that we stop the fight. If we stop the fight, we have no chance. If we stop the fight, antisemitism is certain to multiply. Consider the words of Shlomo Alkabetz in Lecha Dodi. He lived in the land of Israel, in Tzfat, in the 16th century. In this poem, he expresses the longing for Jewish sovereignty to return to the land. And he calls this the “people’s pride”.
“Hitna’ari, hitna’ari / livshi bigdei tifartech ami…” Awake! Rise up from the dust! Dress yourself in this people’s pride. By the hand of Jesse’s son, of Bethlehem’s tribe, Bring my redemption without further delays.
The people’s pride is not in how much the outside world holds us in esteem. It’s in ourselves. It’s in the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel.
“Lo tevoshi v’lo tikalmi…” Do not be embarrassed, do not be ashamed. Why are you downcast? Why do you moan? The poorest of your people, trust in this: The city will be rebuilt as in ancient days.
It’s 2024, and the city has been rebuilt. Jerusalem is thriving once again, and it is, once again, the capital of the Jewish state and the center of the Jewish people. We can and must fight antisemitism so that we can live freely and safely in this society. But we do so remembering that we, as a nation, are not embarrassed or ashamed, but proud. Because Israel’s rebirth 76 years ago has rekindled that pride.
