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August 27, 1999/15 Elul 5759, Vol. 51, No.47
Confronting the common enemy
RABBI JEROME EPSTEIN
Special to Jewish News
As we begin the month of Elul and Jews begin thinking about the High Holidays, people begin to ask me what I am going to say from the pulpit. This past week, because of the senseless hate crime in California and as a result of an increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States and Russia this summer, the query assumed a more directed focus: "What are you going to say about the proliferation of attacks against Jews?"
As it happens, I believe that Jewish values have an important contribution to make to any discussion of this issue. Consider the following:
1. The problem is not anti-Semitism; it is hate. Naturally, I am particularly sensitive to acts of hatred directed specifically at Jews. But, as a Jew, I am also commanded to be horrified by the persecution of any human being. We must fight anti-Semitism because it is a manifestation of hate. But we must combat bigotry against any minority - religious, racial or sexual. When we decry anti-Semitism, we are identifying a symptom, not the root of the problem.
2. Hatred is intrinsically wrong. The Talmud instructs us to avoid sinat himan, causeless hatred. It was because of such hatred that the Second Temple was destroyed. Strangely, that teaching makes it appear that there is "good hatred" as well as "bad hatred." I disagree. The message conveyed to our children must be that all hate is bad. To be sure, one can dislike someone and avoid people with whom one doesn't wish to associate. Nevertheless, hatred by its nature engenders high passion, frequently resulting in destructive behavior. Throughout history, societies have justified their hatred for others as "good hate." The venom demonstrated by the Crusaders was warranted - in their own eyes; just as the hatred manifested by the Nazis was warranted - in their own eyes.
Similarly, majority populations often feel justified in their hatred of minorities. Our message should be simple: Hate is never warranted.
3. Judaism teaches acceptance, tolerance and understanding. The Torah relates that the world was populated through a single man and woman in order to convey that we each have the same parentage. In essence, we are all equal. The Torah goes even further by mandating that Jews care for the stranger because we, ourselves, were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The tendency at this moment is to turn inward and focus on the great hurt and injustices suffered by our people. But while our pain is real, it must be channeled. We must urge the enactment of hate-crime legislation in every state.
In addition, especially in view of the pressure being applied by an active gun control lobby, we must direct those whom we elect to represent the public interest. Controlling the purchase and ownership of guns will serve as an obstacle to those spurred on by hatred.
Our schools must reflect our values, and children - wherever they go to school - must be taught the destructive nature of hate. Without directed action, the situation will continue to deteriorate, yet our society cannot permit paralysis. The challenge for Jews is to focus our energy on combating the common enemy of all civilized nations and opposing hatred in whatever form it appears.
Rabbi Jerome Epstein is the executive vice president of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the association of Conservative congregations in North America.
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