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A Hanukkah for "Oct. 8 Jews"

(Washington Post) Daniella Greenbaum Davis - The desire of many Jews to disappear into America's melting pot did not work. Beginning on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust - and long before the Israel Defense Forces began their response in Gaza - some protesters in U.S. cities began rallying in the streets for the terrorists who had slaughtered and abducted Jewish civilians. For many American Jews, Oct. 8 was a wake-up call. Jews looked around expecting support and, instead, found themselves more alone than they could have imagined. Many alliances, nurtured through decades of civil rights activism, philanthropy to non-Jewish causes (not least universities) and coalition-building turned out to be a mirage. Statements from many supposed friends were equivocal at best. For Jews who had placed their faith in assimilation or allyship as a shield against antisemitism, the disillusionment was profound. Oct. 8 Jews see now that assimilation is no guarantee of safety or acceptance. Countless nonobservant American Jews have been jolted awake. Synagogues have seen rising attendance, Jewish schools are growing, and even those who once distanced themselves from their heritage are reconnecting with it. Writing to a Jewish congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1790, George Washington blessed the community: "May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."
2024-12-24 00:00:00
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