Jews have long held liberal positions, identifying with other minorities and the oppressed. But as ideology shifts to the extremes, some of them are feeling left out in the cold.
You have crystalized the importance of this issue. For many observant Jews, the rightward shift is unsettling. One manifestation of this is the increasing movement to isolate ourselves by building high walls and security fences. A number of years ago, I volunteered as a greeter for a Seward Park shul. The man who instructed me did nothing but show me what to do WHEN THEY ATTACK. Protection for ourselves is important, but it cannot be the only way we interact with our neighbors. At the same time that we make ourselves safer through protective measures, we must also reach out to others in welcoming gestures. It is up to us as individuals and as congregations to find ways to achieve these ends. I hope that this is the beginning of an ongoind search for solutions.
Thank you for covering this topic. As a Jew who supports progressive policies, I find myself more to the center on social issues, specifically cancel culture and intersectionality. When writing an article for Jewish in Seattle in 2016 (https://mag.jewishinseattle.org/community/2016/08/quiet-riot), I learned that more and more Jewish students were eschewing campus social justice gatherings, like Black Lives Matter, because they included other causes - under the intersectionality umbrella - like Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Some protestors brandished anti-Israel banners; others equated American Jews with Israelis (in a black-and-white ignorance, conflating all Israelis with the Israeli government). I've argued with some of my progressive friends about Ilan Omar's troubling anti-Semitic statements; fortunately, getting them to shift their perspectives.
It seems that there is only space for so many minorities, and nuance is overlooked in the name of woke righteousness.
You have crystalized the importance of this issue. For many observant Jews, the rightward shift is unsettling. One manifestation of this is the increasing movement to isolate ourselves by building high walls and security fences. A number of years ago, I volunteered as a greeter for a Seward Park shul. The man who instructed me did nothing but show me what to do WHEN THEY ATTACK. Protection for ourselves is important, but it cannot be the only way we interact with our neighbors. At the same time that we make ourselves safer through protective measures, we must also reach out to others in welcoming gestures. It is up to us as individuals and as congregations to find ways to achieve these ends. I hope that this is the beginning of an ongoind search for solutions.
Thank you for covering this topic. As a Jew who supports progressive policies, I find myself more to the center on social issues, specifically cancel culture and intersectionality. When writing an article for Jewish in Seattle in 2016 (https://mag.jewishinseattle.org/community/2016/08/quiet-riot), I learned that more and more Jewish students were eschewing campus social justice gatherings, like Black Lives Matter, because they included other causes - under the intersectionality umbrella - like Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Some protestors brandished anti-Israel banners; others equated American Jews with Israelis (in a black-and-white ignorance, conflating all Israelis with the Israeli government). I've argued with some of my progressive friends about Ilan Omar's troubling anti-Semitic statements; fortunately, getting them to shift their perspectives.
It seems that there is only space for so many minorities, and nuance is overlooked in the name of woke righteousness.