|
In the summer of 2023, I led a student group to Israel on a Maccabee Task Force mission. This free student trip brought non-Jewish student influencers from college campuses across the country alongside Zionist Jewish students to experience the daily reality of “Israel on the ground." Ideally the trip is designed to fight the rising tide of antisemitism and anti-Zionism by dispelling the dangerous myths circulating on college campuses. These student participants meet politicians, leaders and activists from the Israeli and Palestinian worlds.
On our trip, we met with Abbas’ right hand man in the PA offices. He spoke to us as he sat under a large picture on the wall glorifying terrorism and anti-Zionism. Most of what he shared with us was antisemitic rhetoric and hatred that actually helped the student participants understand what the PA truly espouses. As offensive as these comments were, one statement in particular filled me with horror. He stated that Jesus was a Palestinian.
While the students made faces at one another and treated it as a joke, I understood at that very moment that he was sharing a dark and dangerous strategy that is now being propagated by Islamic fundamentalists and is gaining traction throughout the world. Of course, we know that Jesus was a Jew but Click Here to see how this truth is being distorted today and used as part of a dangerous strategy that is growing throughout the world. We learned at the most recent ZRC Conference from Alyza Lewin about the deliberate denial of the existence of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem and attempts to eradicate historic connections of Jews to the Land of Israel.
Sadly, approximately 3 weeks ago, the National Education Association mailed three million of its members a map that erased Israel and instead called it "Palestine". The fact that the nation's largest teachers union is denying the reality of Israel’s existence is not only inexcusable but also terrifying, especially in light of NY’s mayoral race this week. Jewish institutions have been defaced with antisemitic graffiti and Jews around the world have been subjected to violence including a targeted attack against children in a Skokie park.
The lie of Jesus as a Palestinian, the erasure of Israel and the explosion of antisemitism throughout the world are incredibly dangerous steps that are designed to blot out Jewish life and culture from world history. Hitler didn’t start with gas chambers, he began with lies.
We cannot and will not be erased! Our responsibility to bear witness to the truth, to stand proudly and loudly as Jewish leaders and to educate our congregants, community leaders and especially our children, all of which is more important than ever before.
This week’s News You Can Use highlights both terrible antisemitism and Muslim extremism as well as shedding some light in this darkness while providing some important resources to share with your communities.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Sue Silberberg
ZRC Director of Program and Operations
| 
