He first asked the rabbis of the Talmud to the potential converts to Judaism, the rabbis who posted to the potential converts to Judaism. (Gerim 1a).
Anti-Semitism has always colored my experience of repentance and Jewish life. At a Catholic high school, when the only Jewish teacher first taught me about Shoah (the Holocaust), I struggled with imagining how my ancestors would have acted if they had lived under Nazi-occupied Europe. Visiting ancestral family and attending church with my mother, I quietly excused myself when the local priest spewed anti-Semitic theology and conspiracy theories. As the threat of anti-Semitism against our synagogue began to escalate exponentially, I heard non-Jewish friends and relatives claim that "everyone" fears the gun violence in this country. This despite the fact that they did not bring their children to a Jewish kindergarten surrounded by private security, uniformed police officers, and regular police officers.
As someone who chose to convert to Judaism as an adult, I have been criticized for many things: converting from one "wrong" religion (Catholicism) to another (Judaism). Trading a guilt-based religion for a shame-based religion (TBH, you will always feel guilty about shame). Betraying my queer identity and identity by not participating in religious traditions at all. Taking sides in wars and "massacres."
As a woman, a queer person, a Jewish woman, none of the epithets have deterred me. They were all clearly inhuman, threatening, and violent.
"Die, Jew!" from a college student in the United States. There is nothing to help demand a "Global Intifada."
What I learned about setting priorities in my process of repentance can be best summarized by the repeated commandments in the sacred book of the Jewish people, the Torah.
× Do not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
V'ger lo tilchatz, v'atem y'datem et nefesh ha'ger, ki gerim hayitem b'eretz mitzrayim.
"You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul of a stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus/Leviticus 23:9).
The commandment to maintain a different experience at the forefront of the path of rejecting others - this is the central commandment regarding the Jewish people. Every Passover, we act as if we were slaves and then as if we were liberated. Although our tradition, like many cultures that have attempted alienation, oppression, discrimination, and genocide, includes fantasies of revenge, the Jewish tradition continually reminds us that empathy should be our driving force.
Today, it seems that some in the United States and around the world believe that empathy must be strictly rationed. Hate, always presented as a rational response to earthly facts, is an insidious cultural force against us, trying to convince us that we must be there for Israel or Palestine. For life or death. And that is not true.
I am struggling with how to talk about anti-Semitism and my personal relationship with Israel before October 7th. I have received messages welcoming a Jewish baby from former college students, family members (Jewish and non-Jewish), college friends, strangers on the internet, and local community members who guided rituals to mark the most vulnerable transitions and experiences in their lives. They want to know what "side" I am on. They want to know how I think the conflict in Israel/Palestine should be "resolved."
I heard horrific proposals and "solutions" from extreme voices in Poland echoing Netanyahu's clear desire to bomb Gaza to demand the deaths of all Jews.
A few days ago, I signed rabbis' ceasefire letter. https://rabbis4ceasefire.com I hesitated about this decision and now people will cancel me, hate me, threaten me, respect me because I signed publicly. I did not sign before because I did not agree with the original form the letter took. I signed recently because it is time for this earthly war to end, killing innocent Palestinians and threatening the future security of a place I hold dear, sacred, and personally meaningful. 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians who are already there and not expelled, killed, or exiled.
I am not a politician. I am not a war or peace strategist. I am not an expert in strategically engaging with what is happening in Israel and Gaza. I cannot see the citizens of Rafah making compelling arguments. The Hamas bunkers are full of innocent people who can be overwhelmingly killed when Israeli bombs fall because they go down tunnels under the streets. I cannot see Israeli rape victims on October 7th being labeled as liars. I cannot see babies starving to death because mothers cannot afford to nurse them. I cannot see Jewish students who should continue to rise up against political extremists on October 7th infiltrating college campuses.
During this dark time, my rabbi was Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Beth Elohim congregation in Brooklyn, New York. Her sermons, especially her recent sermons, were addressed to young Jews on a college campus in a campsite. We strengthened my sense that we cannot see this as a "two-sided" conflict that ignores the suffering of the Palestinian people. We believe that the occupation of Gaza cannot be justified, and anti-Semitism cannot be ignored, promoted, or normalized. Rabbi Timoner argued strongly that anti-Semitism "is invisible to those who are not" and "is invisible to those who are not" about the college campus in "Sermon, Acrarei Mot 5784, May 3, 2024).
I may not be skilled at teaching Judaism and sexuality or organizing well-run high holy day services, but I am not an expert in strategically engaging with what is happening in Israel and Gaza. The conflict and its implications for the world. I cannot see the citizens of Rafa engaging in compelling arguments. Hamas bunkers are innocent people who can be overwhelmingly killed when Israeli bombs go down the tunnels under the streets. I cannot see Israeli rape victims being labeled as liars on October 7th. I cannot see babies starving to death because mothers cannot afford to care for their children. I cannot see political extremists shouting in the faces of Jewish students who should continue to rise on October 7th and infiltrate college campuses.
I am very tired of hearing people say that "choice" is binary and clear. This conflict, power versus vulnerability, war versus mass slaughter, has two sides. It is false, dangerous, and will not lead to peace, freedom, liberation, or security for others.
Deep and honest communication, human connection is the only thing that can help us now. I especially mean this when we mark Memorial Day and Independence Day in Israel.
Hamas is not the people of Palestine. Netanyahu is not all Israelis or all Jews. Israeli hostages must be released from captivity. The people of Palestine must be released from captivity as hostages of Hamas terrorist organization. A ceasefire must be accepted. Humanitarian aid must reach Gaza. And peace is the only way for both the people of Palestine and the sacred land of the Jews.
If you are eligible to vote in the United States, learn about the Combat Anti-Semitism Act and call your representative.