I don’t worry about antisemitism from white nationalists, skinheads, or neo-Nazis. I can identify that form of antisemitism a mile away. Those kinds of people who hate Jews aren’t shy to admit their beliefs. What worries me, what keeps me up at night, are the folks who cloak their antisemitism under the garb of social justice. For my entire life, social justice was on the banner of my Jewish identity. I grew up on a steady diet of helping the hungry, the poor, and the orphans, all as a manifestation of my Jewish identity. I marched for reproductive rights, for LGBTQ causes, and against racism—and I will continue to do so. What’s changed is that many of the same folks who marched alongside me now see my Zionist beliefs as the problem. I am a Zionist. I am one who believes that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination in the Land of Israel. In the last few months, I’ve seen Zionism become a dirty term once again. Today, this more nefarious iteration of antisemitism is under a distorted lens of social justice.
As I seek to understand the origins of this manifestation of antisemitism, I rely on organizations like the ADL and, more recently, Project Shema. This Sunday and Monday, April 28th and 29th, Temple Emanu-El will host two evening programs to address antisemitism as an expression of the progressive left side of politics.
The discussion on Sunday, April 28th, is for families of Temple Emanu-El and the Atlanta Jewish community. This includes any non-Jewish members of TE families. The program on Monday, April 29th, is for the greater Atlanta community who do not come from Jewish backgrounds or families. You don’t need to attend both to get something out of the evenings, but you should absolutely attend at least one of the two. The incarnation of liberal antisemitism is something that will not go away any time soon. We must understand it to learn how to defeat it.
Please join me at these very important programs. Bring your Jewish families to either night, but especially bring your neighbors of all faith backgrounds to Monday night.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Rabbi Max Miller
