I still remember the day when I was eleven years old, when on the way home from school with my friend, we were suddenly jumped upon by four teenagers who yelled racial and Anti-Semitic slurs at us and proceeded to beat us up because we were Jewish. While I ended up with just a few bruises, my friend ended up on the floor and received a few bonus kicks before the hoodlums ran away after a neighbor started yelling that he was calling the police.
Unfortunately I cannot say that this was the only incident in my childhood when I experienced Anti-Semitism as growing up in England offered plenty of similar experiences, including being pelted with large rocks, having bottles thrown at me, other physical assaults, dozens of racial slurs and curses, and so much more.
With that said, I cannot say that my childhood was dominated by Anti Semitism, instead my life was filled with a wonderful childhood thanks to my wonderful family and community and these events were just a side experience that we occasionally had to deal with. Perhaps if anything, these kinds of incidents helped me realize that we have something special and virtuous about our Jewish way of life, which I learned to appreciate and value even more.
Last week's terrible displays of hatred and violence, and the kinds of views expressed by some of the Neo Nazi's as they marched or were interviewed were chilling reminders of just how evil Anti Semitism and racism is.
I am sure that the overwhelming population in this country on the left and the right is very much against any form of racism and Anti-Semitsm, but unfortunately there is definitely a minority that has such hatred and views.
Having lived in the United States for about eighteen years, I can thankfully say, that I have experienced very little Anti-Semitism. Since I moved to Massachusetts, I have only experienced perhaps a handful of incidents, but on the other hand, I have had the most positive experiences with the vast majority of people I interact with.
For this reason, I continue to believe that this country is a blessed country that strives for tolerance and respect for the many segments and faces of its society and is a truly wonderful place. It may not be perfect yet and it may not have a perfect history, but overall it is a work in progress that seems to be constantly moving in the right direction.
What Defines Us?
Growing up my identity was never about Anti Semitism, instead it was about the joys and beauties of Judaism and Jewish Values. Today too, as we seek to convey Judaism to our children and the next generation, let's not let Anti Semitism be the main thrust of what we convey, rather let it be the beautiful values, the teachings of the Torah, and the love for good deeds and Mitzvahs that are the main points that we convey to our children.
Reb Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, a famous Chassidic Rebbe, once said, "If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because you are you and you are you because I am I, then I am not I and you are not you!".
You may need to read it again to take it in, but it is a very powerful statement. If our identity is shaped by what others think about us, then we are not really ourselves. However, if I am who I am because of what I am inherently, then I am actually being myself and living who I ought to be.
We should not ignore the scourge of racism and we should definitely deal with it, but let it not define us. Instead let's fight back the darkness and evil of racism, hatred and the terror that we have seen both here and across the Atlantic in Spain this week, with light, Mitzvahs and a determination to continue to make the world a brighter and more positive world for all of humanity, the world that G-d wants it to be.
Good Shabbos
Yisroel