Modern (Non-) Judaism

Our Yeshiva has a group of students who participated in a JCC sponsored basketball league. Their team made the championship and many members of the Yeshiva went to the final game to cheer them on. The competition was quite good and our players were rattled by their speed and skill. It was a close and competitive game until our team started to get called on travelling and fouls. Although no official count was made it seemed that more penalties were called on the team which sported Yarmulkas and Tzitzis. The second half slowly tipped toward to other team and we eventually lost the game. Complaining about the referees was not surprising, as such behavior is expected from any teenager (or adult children) who loses a game with a lot of such calls by the referee. What surprised me was the sentiment that it was anti-Semitism which motivated the poor calls. Although the majority of players accepted the loss with valor, there was an undercurrent of attitude from some that the officials objected more to their faith than to their walking while carrying the ball. Leaving aside the fact this game was played in the JCC, where one would assume both teams are Jewish and equally subject to bias, this response is worthy of consideration.

It is not hard to find how such a predisposition has developed. The Jewish people have suffered anti- Semitism from before that word was crafted. Every child is taught about the painful history of oppression we have suffered. Additionally, there are a number of Chazals that focus on the continual threat of anti-Semitism. On the seder night as we recall our suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. We say, “in every generation, they will stand up to destroy us but You will save us from their hands”. Any basic Chumash lesson will focus on the eternal hatred that Aisav has for Yaakov. These, and many other words of Chazel, set up a culture aimed at viewing the Non-Jew as suspect at best, and even outright criminal in some cases.

We can find a similar trend in our contemporary news. It is rare to read about an Orthodox criminal who takes full responsibility for the crime and punishment they have been convicted of. Even when those facts are given the thrust of Orthodox Jewish press seems to focus more on the aspects of the case which are seen as unfair, and not on the elements of guilt and remorse. This can be seen starting with the case of Jonathon Pollard whose unprecedented prison term has been explained as blatant anti-Semitism. Over the years the only aspect of Mr. Pollard’s case I have encountered has been regarding the “unfair system” and “anti-Semitism” that surrounds his case. The recent case of Sholom Rubashkin is probably too sensitive an issue to highlight but it seems to follow a similar trend, in which a life sentence has been sought, has also been pinned as anti-Semitism. These are two of the more notorious examples but there are many more that follow a similar pattern. I am not assessing whether the allegations of anti-Semitism are true and to what extent, I am simply pointing out the messages these cases convey. The message of these news stories are that anti-Semitism is alive, well, and part of the establishment.

There is no doubt that anti-Semitism exists. On numerous occasions I have personally had the unpleasant experience of being screamed at while walking home from shul. We can none-the-less overlook the unique status of Jews in our modern world. The Jewish people have freedoms that are unprecedented in world history. There was perhaps no greater demonstration of this than the close election that took place in 2000 in which a publicly Orthodox Jew was nearly elected to the second highest office in United States of America!

The question that needs to be addressed is what message should we be communicating to our children? Should our message be impacted as a result of our modern predicament? Are we communicating a overly strong sense of fear and similarly an assumption that the average non-Jew has an intrinsic hatred of us? Was the reaction of our basketball team an indication that we may need to refocus our message and attitudes regarding Non-Jews in the modern world?

Like many similar questions there is no clear answer but the conversation itself may lead us closer to the proper approach.

Sparks of Greatness

We are now in the post-Pesach final stretch. By this point in the year, relationships are built, classroom rules are well-greased and the students should be in a prime position to learn. I enjoy this time of year very much.

A mechanech in a Modern Orthodox Yeshiva High School just told me a story about one of his talmidim. This high school talmid walked into class after Pesach like every other student. While some students talked about trips to out-of-town family and stays in fancy hotels, this student simply stated that he was home with his family.

Later the true story came out.

This teenage child found out right before Pesach that his mother was quite ill and had to go away for treatments leaving him alone with his father, special needs brother and other younger siblings. This family is new to Orthodox Judaism and was not sure how to approach Yom Tov. Who would clean the house? Who would cook for the sedarim, ect…? Although his mother was going to be released from the hospital in time to be home for Pesach, she would be in no condition to help with preparation. His father was busy at work and was also not able to make adjustments to be home. Perhaps they would “skip” Pesach and make do with minimum cleaning and a takeout seder. This young man wanted Pesach to be Pesach and took the preparations upon himself. He cleaned the entire house and cooked for the family. Although these jobs are usually shouldered by a team of adults, children and, often times, paid help, this young man did it all himself because he wanted his family to experience Pesach. When I heard this story I was touch in heart and mind.

In my heart I ask what does this say about this very young person’s commitment to mitzvos? Many children would follow the circumstances and rely on the adults to make

Pesach, but this young man was willing to take on such a difficult task in order to have Yom Tov. How impressed I am by these quiet acts of greatness, most of which we never know about. How lucky is this boy’s Rebbe who can build on this solid foundation of commitment to Torah!

My mind finds it amazing to think that he sits in his class with everyone else. As a teacher we would never know what is going on at home. All the while he had a sickly mother, stressed-out father, special needs sibling and Pesach coming quick, but he came to school, took tests and interacted with friends. What else could be going on? What other students are overcoming challenges, scared or worried about family?

This story is just one of many similar ones which take place on a regular basis in any school. If we look with a careful eye we can see these sparks of greatness.