New York City was glorious yesterday — sunny, hot, bustling with energy. The crowd outside Trump tower didn’t mind the heat. They were peaceful but loud, supporting each other with good will and spirit. There were the usual heckling counter protesters, who thankfully were mostly ignored. I looked at the assembled company, representing all of our country: white, black, hispanic, straight, gay, young and old. I loved them and was glad to be part of it. Except a recurrent feeling of anger and sadness welled up in me, as it has over the past months. A quiet quivering voice in my head asked:
Where are the Jews? Where are my people?
Context: I bear the name of my great grandfather, who died as a shtetl elder mounting a fruitless resistance to the Nazi invasion of Polish communities. He was hung in the town square. Fruitless — because it was far too late. This was 1940, well after the Polish invasion, well after the mid to late 1930s when maybe, just maybe, an organized vocal protest movement might have done something. And I was raised as many Jewish Americans of the 20th century, steeped in Holocaust stories and messages such as “do not forget”, and “Jews must remain vigilant” and “If not now, when?” and similar profound concepts boiled into slogans for the youthful mind.
Yesterday was the Jewish sabbath, and trump tower is located within walking distance of the homes of 10s of thousands of Jews. Modern orthodox jews could easily walk to this event without violation of the sabbath and participate in a true mitzvah, the bearing witness to injustice. I did not see one kippah (Jewish headcovering) in the entire crowd of maybe 500 people.
Where are the Jews?
Here we are, at a clearly pivotal time as the unblinking beast of the Trump administration slouches towards worse and worse human offenses. When he called Mexicans rapists and drug dealers, Jewish leadership should have stood up. When he created the Muslim travel ban, Jewish rabbis and secular leaders should have seen the signs. Now, when he is literally caging brown children, I yet do not see an organized Jewish response.
Where are the rabbis?
I seethe when I hear biblical justifications for Trump’s behaviors. You want bible? My fellow Jews — you all know this one, rewritten (translation fairly good) on a sign at the protest:
Written out here for clarity, from Leviticus, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, DO NOT mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your G-d.”
This line is repeated often from synagogue pulpits, at the seder table on passover, and most Jews with a reasonable Jewish education know this line. This statement is powerful, straightfoward and without equivocation. And caging brown babies and separating families could not be more of a clear violation. Send them home if you must, but traumatizing them? Crushing the spirits of innocent children?
To my Jewish brothers and sisters who remain silent: how can you read this from Leviticus, how can you attend a Holocaust memorial event, without thinking of what is happening now? Our inaction is an affront to all the people who died in the Holocaust. I am quite sure they would be disgusted with us — it sure appears that we haven’t learned anything and the lack of action defiles their memory.
where are the rabbis?
Institutional Judaism in the US has remained remarkably mute. A recent example — faith leaders recently led a protest and many were arrested. I scoured hard for evidence of rabbinic participation. If there were any, it clearly was not at an organizational level. I attend synagogue, I read Jewish papers, and I see precious little protest. Where are the rabbis writing op-eds for the New York Times? Where is the Jewish march on Washington? As we slide to fascism and denigrating the strangers in our midst, this could not be a more clear example testing us whether we have learned the lessons of the 1930s. Lessons which should be especially clear for Jews.
My people, you are breaking my heart. Rabbis and leadership of my faith:
Where are you?
If not now, when?