Rabbi's Chayva's Chat

This was a tough one to write. On the one hand, I’ve read and watched perhaps too much news on the college protests. On the other hand, what can I say?

One of my dear friends in Jerusalem reached out to me today. “Ok, it’s my turn to check in on you,” she said, “how are you guys?”

It seems funny that an Israeli, living through a war in a traumatized society, would worry about us. But it’s also a good question. The college campus protests have now gone on for two weeks, and their ferocity and virulence has raised the temperature of the discourse within and about the American Jewish community.

Three elements of the protests seem particularly inflammatory. The first and most obvious is antisemitic language and behavior, including the harassment of Jewish students; calls for all Jews to go back to Poland; and even calls for Jews to be killed. Second is the delegitimization and erasure of Israeli and Jewish history, from early Jewish settlement on the land to the Zionist movement to the events of October 7. Finally, the brittle, divisive, all-or-nothing framework that one is either with the movement or against it. (For a further breakdown of the different levels of rhetoric, I recommend this post by Rabbi Geoff Mitelman.)

These make for a powerful mixture; it’s no wonder emotions are running high. If you feel trapped, excluded, unrepresented, threatened, torn, or besieged, I see you. We’re looking for a space to express things that we don’t see in the protests and counter-protests. We want to protect Palestinian lives and get Israeli hostages and soldiers home safely. We want to be progressive and feel connected to Israel. And we want to feel safe - we want to step out from under the microscope of public opinion and have thoughtful, nuanced debate.

As Rabbi Sharon Brous explained last week, both resistance and debate have long histories in Jewish tradition. As my Israeli friend and I sifted through our complicated feelings, she pointed out, “The greatest chevrutot [study partners] in history were between equal partners who argued all day. Machloket [rigorous, respectful debate] is a real thing.”

If we are to navigate this moment and stay true to our values, we have to resist the right/wrong binary that is presented to us. Rather than the biblical us versus them approach, let us draw upon the wisdom of the chevrutot of the Talmud: no one is ever all right or all wrong, all good or all bad.

As you navigate these rough waters, be careful. Be informed, intentional, and nuanced. Remember that every person is created in the image of God: every Jew, every American, every Israeli, every Palestinian. In short, resist the binary. That’s the kind of resistance we need to be doing right now.