Unity in the Face of Antisemitism: Shacharit, 2nd Day of Rosh Hashanah, 5786. Kol Shalom, 2025

In my reflections for these Yamim Noraim, I cannot fail to address the increase of  antisemitism in the world. This phenomenon, of course, was never dead, but only asleep.  Since October 7, 2023 it has awoken with incredible intensity. 

Historically, the world’s empathy toward us arises only when we are victims. In this case,  it lasted about a week. Obviously, there were some celebrations of the massacre that very  same day by the mongers of hate, but for the most part, it took a few days for the anti - Jewish sentiments to emerge. Many of us had believed or wished to believe that the  voices of hate had been mostly silenced. 

The night before last, we spoke about the unity of the Jewish People, and yesterday  morning we spoke about the unity of our community. Today I would like to take a look at  the unity that antisemites see in us, as well as the unity that I feel we need to have in  order to combat this scourge. 

If we analyze the history of antisemitism, we will see that we are never perceived as the  diverse people we are. For the antisemites, we are a single unit. They do not recognize  the struggles of identity and the lack of solidity that we see in ourselves. For them, we are  “the Jews.” 

From both the extreme right and the extreme left, the same antisemitic stereotypes and  cliches are upheld, developed over centuries of hate. The common denominator is that  they portray us as ‘all the same’, one unified evil force.  

Antisemites do not hate only Zionist Jews; they hate Jews. We are all oligarchs, lovers of  money, and conspirators of the international economy. We are all capitalists. At the same  time, we are all communists. We are all insensitive and murderers of innocent children.  We are all God-killers. 

The Pharaoh of Egypt did not discriminate between one tribe and another. His fears were  based on a conspiracy regarding the Hebrews as a whole.  

The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans all spoke of “the Jews,”  ignoring the differences of social class and political parties. The historian Flavius Josephus  did differentiate between various sects and distinctive alliances among Jews in his  writings, but for the antisemites throughout history, there are never differentials. We are  always “the Jews.”

The same was true for the Catholic Church. Until the Second Vatican Council in 1965,  there were two millennia of religious antisemitism. All Jews were Judas Iscariot. We were  all deicides. 

The Bolshevik Czars did not spew antisemitic hatred against only the Jews who opposed  their regime. For them, there were no differences among Jews.  

Pogroms raided Jewish villages indiscriminately, violently destroying and killing whoever  they found. 

My greatest criticism of the Jewish Enlightenment of the 18^th Century, is that it clung to  the fantasy and naïve belief that if you are a good person, you will be accepted by an  antisemitic society. The truth is that no matter what you do, in the eyes of an antisemite,  you are guilty simply for being who you are. 

Hitler and the Nazi ideologues did not distinguish between good and bad, rich and poor,  beautiful and ugly, old and young. The “Jewish disease,” for them, was in the genes, in the  blood, in the DNA. All were guilty, as an indivisible unit. 

Hamas murdered citizens in the kibbutzim and yishuvim of southern Israel. They did not  distinguish between leftists and rightists. In fact—allow me to remind you—the majority  of those brutally killed were pacifists, defenders of the idea of two states for two peoples.  They made no distinction in their rapes and mutilations between young people, like the  kidnapped Evyatar David and Rom Braslavsky, who had gone to dance and celebrate  peace at a music festival. For them, there is no difference between a far-right minister, a  settler in the West Bank, and the Bibas family in Nir Oz. All are simply Jews. 

In our naiveté, many times out of ignorance, but other times motivated by our progressive  ideas and good intentions, we feed the antisemites of the moment. To see Jews  supporting those who long for our annihilation is tremendously painful and heartbreaking.  I see this as a misguided application of the fundamental teachings of Tikun Olam and  Chesed.  

It is interesting that the value of Emet—truth—is not mentioned much. Perhaps because  much of the anti-Jewish narrative is based on lies and on manipulation of information in  the media. 

Today it is time to confront this scourge of antisemitism as a unified people, despite our  differences and despite our ideologies.  

Just as we unite against all kinds of discrimination—ethnic, racial, social, religious, sexual,  or of any other type—we must unite in a clear and forceful presence against those who  proclaim our extermination.

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It is our tendency as humans, unfortunately, to fall into the trap of stereotypes and  reductionist generalizations, which generally lead to hatred and violence. We, as Jews,  need to be aware of this as well.  

We also must fight against the danger of being infected by the virus of hatred. We need to  maintain our Jewish values, which means, being ethical, and sensitive, and loving, and  compassionate.  

Today, Rosh Hashanah, is the symbolic anniversary of the Creation of Humanity. God created Man in Its image and likeness. Adam HaRishon, that first human being, was  neither male nor female. He was not Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or atheist. He  was not white, black, brown, or yellow. He was not communist or capitalist, tall or short,  light-eyed or dark-eyed. 

In the midst of so much diversity in the world, may God help us to remember that we are  indeed all connected. We are all God´s creatures. 

We are unified by our humanity.  

In our struggle to survive as Jews, may we commit ourselves to the importance of  recognizing that all people are worthy of acceptance and respect.  

And may we say loudly and proudly, in spite of centuries of antisemitic hatred: AM ISRAEL CHAI!