Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

An article in The New Yorker by Corey Robin explores the times in our history when Jews have been relatively safe and times when we have been under a greater threat of antisemitism. His overarching observation is that Jews have done better under democracies, wherein we did not need specific laws for our protection and we focused our engagement in society more on how we protected other marginalized communities rather than ourselves.

By contrast, his research led to a finding that an early sign of acute and threatening antisemitism is when we (and those who “claim” to be our friends) seek out specific laws that are ostensibly designed to protect only Jews and not other communities targeted for discrimination. If our society is a thriving democracy — notwithstanding that the U.S. democratic experiment has always been a fragile one — we are safer and can make enormous contributions to the well-being of the country.

I thought about this as I was in Washington, D.C., this past week. I was there primarily as a part of Rabbis for Ceasefire, one of many organizations gathered for an interfaith action to protest against Christians United for Israel (CUFI) at their annual summit. I hasten to add that CUFI’s brand of Christianity is nothing like the theology and morality practiced by the many Christian clergy I have been honored to work with over my time in the rabbinate. Further, CUFI, led by the Christian televangelist John Hagee, is a font for antisemitism and homophobic demonization.

There is this misconception that anyone who says they support Israel is a friend of Jews. In the case of CUFI, their support of Israel — and a certain form of Israeli policy in its most authoritarian form — is arguably damaging to the future of Judaism and of Israel.

CUFI is an organization of 11 million people, more than the total number of Jews living in the United States. It is a powerful lobby, particularly for politicians on the right in pursuing specific U.S. policies on Israel. In other words, whatever power has been attributed to right-leaning Jewish organizations like AIPAC, it is nothing compared with the impact of CUFI on U.S. policy toward Israel.

To understand CUFI, one needs to understand their underlying theology that drives their stance on Israel. For there to be the second coming of Jesus, all Jews must return to Israel — and with that in mind, drive out others not Jewish or Christian. Once that occurs, Jews will have to either convert to Christianity and profess faith in Jesus as our savior or die and go directly to hell. In other words, we Jews serve as useful pawns in this particular form of Christian theology. 

The groups that were gathered in Washington, D.C., have been and continue to be advocates for a just peace in Israel-Palestine, seeking an end to the killing and destruction in Gaza, including a return of the hostages taken on October 7. The gathering also centered on fighting against CUFI’s antisemitism. While Christians, Muslims and Mennonites who were present were working to fight against antisemitism, we who were there representing Rabbis for Ceasefire were fighting for a better future that centered on a better future for Palestinian civilians. We were all there advocating for those not us.  

CUFI and a number of our politicians have been pursuing laws and resolutions that supposedly protect us against antisemitism. The lesson here is that CUFI’s advocacy for Israel and their stand against antisemitism do not make us more safe. Quite the contrary.  

While in Washington, I also was part of a gathering of diverse, interfaith clergy under the leadership of Bishop William J. Barber II, leader of the Poor People’s Campaign and Repairers of the Breach. We gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to fight for all marginalized people in our country. With the upcoming election (arguably the most important in my lifetime), Barber is leading an effort to bring 15 million poor, disenfranchised people to the polls to vote in November. It is an effort to center on issues affecting the impoverished and give voice to the voiceless.

Being amongst this group of clergy reminded me of times when we Jews have focused our energy on protecting others. Whether it be in the fight for racial justice or, as was the case here in Kansas City decades ago during the farm crisis, standing with family farmers, we acted with the confidence that advocating for the welfare of others — the voiceless, the marginalized, the stranger in our midst — was the best way to protect our safety and welfare as Jews.

May we continue that fight in the days, months and years ahead.