A Million Questions Why
By Susan Eisenstein
A long time ago, someone told me to stop trying to make sense of everything. That I was always trying to do that and it could not be done. Since then, I try to no longer do this. At least a lot of the time. I can see what people do, but I often do not understand why they do the things they do. But I still cannot stop asking why....
Why do people ignore reality and truth? Why do facts and history no longer matter and only incitement to inflamed feelings, based on distortion of facts and distortion of history matter? Why is Jewish identity to be hidden and Israel ignored, demonized and delegitimized? Why are standards applied to us as Jews or as Israelis, and to the only Jewish country in the world, Israel, different from standards applied to everyone else in the world, and to every other country or nation? Why does the expression "even va-even," used for "double standard" exist today in this contect? And I am not referring to the higher standard that we apply to ourselves as Jews and Israelis. Those come from our heritage and Jewish texts. The double standard applied to us from the world is not from the same positive source. Might it be that we have thousands of years of Torah and traditions that inform us that we are not kings or queens or supreme rulers of the universe, answerable only to ourselves? That we have morals, and standards that are set way above our tiny selves, and are responsible to a much higher source. We are a light unto the nations and we take our role in the world responsibly and seriously. Maybe, the standards we have set for ourselves are so different from the world, but why cannot the world learn and understand, or at the least, let us live in peace?
Why don't Jews know their own history, not in a sanitized version, but the real struggle for thousands of years, the persecution, the blood libels, the money lender origins, the caricatures, the feelings in other countries that Jews were less than, and had to be taught how to dress, eat, the use of proper utensils, etc., before we could be "enlightened" and brought into "proper" society, the funny hats we were made to wear to humiliate us, bringing into existence the striemel as a way to turn this hat situation around and instead used to bring honor to the wearer. And so much more that it would take pages to enumerate. Why do we have to conform and become someone else? And why cannot we see that becoming someone else is giving up who we are, another form of erasing ourselves, as so many centuries have wanted to happen to us?
Why do we turn on ourselves and why do we see denominations as all important, allowing these designations to cause dissension between us, when the world only sees us collectively as Jews? The world does not care if you are or are not observant. We are always going to be Ivrit, the "other," whether we assimilate or not, no matter what denomination you choose or do not choose. Why do we not just identify as Jewish?
Why are people from all different countries who are now American citizens, or who were born in America but whose ancestors hail from other countries, allowed to be proud of their heritage and their being American? No one thinks twice about being proudly Irish-American, Italian-American, German-American, Swiss-American, Cuban-American, on and on, but have you tried to say that you are Israeli-American or American-Israeli for that matter? As if we as Jews, would have a "dual loyalty" to America just because Israel is in the mix. We are Jews yes, but we are also Americans! One does not preclude the other, just as it does not for any other nationality. American Jews are proud of being Americans and of being Jews. And it is a fact that many Jews helped win American independence during the American Revolution. We fiercely love both countries, including their flaws and disagreements about flaws.
Often, you have to be very careful about your name if it is Israeli or too Jewish sounding. From the time I was in elementary school, I knew other Jewish children who tried to change their last names. One girl I knew whose last name was Shapiro came to school one day declaring her name was really SHAPiro. People often change their Jewish sounding names by putting emphasis on different syllables, changing it to a different pronunciation. Maybe then you will be "hidden" and allowed to participate better in society. You may not be seen as Ivrit.
In fact, I have been told to change the pronunciation of my last name to sound more German. Why not add an extra "n" into the bargain. This was from a business associate trying to be helpful. My late Father was furious. No, that is not our name. And yes, in addition to changing my name, I have been offered the wonderful opportunity to sign a paper saying that if I would raise my children as Christian, then a certain job in academia would be mine. I had no children at the time. Were they going to come and check each year on this issue to see that I complied?
And why was not the term "antisemitism" acknowledged, as a term that unfortunately, describes only the experience of the Jewish people? Indeed, I wish there was no need for such a term at all, but it is our experience, the oldest hatred for thousands of years and increasingly on the rise in the world now. No, the term antisemitism is not a universal term for oppressed people. It unfortunately is uniquely Jewish. Antisemitism against Jews was sanctioned by the government of every country. During World War II, the great powers of the time knew what was happening in Europe and to its Jews, but all were silent, including the great powers of the world.
The Shoah also is not a universal experience. It too, is unfortunately uniquely ours. It should not be appropriated by the world, but understood as a warning of what will happen to others if no one stands up now, if our young people are not taught and given the tools to combat the hatred directed specifically against us in the world today, acknowledge its ancient roots, understand its development, and take action now. And this kind of hatred against any people or nation should never be tolerated.
Imagine, persecution and genocide sanctioned by governments! Everyone was reluctant to help us. Does that happen today for any other country or people? If there is genocide anywhere in the world, do not governments and people help and condemn these acts? But antisemitism, Jew hatred, is still not a strong enough issue to eradicate and condemn it. Sadly, today, antisemitism is not only still around but appears to have become acceptable.
Things that are said and done are not just history. Silence and inaction also send messages. It would be good to remember the words of Golda Meir at the Evian Conference, July 1938:
"Jews neither can nor should ever depend on anyone else for permission to stay alive."
And why are people uncomfortable with Jewish self-determination? Why is it popular to undermine and delegitimize Israel? And why are our people not fighting harder against what is happening to us in the world today? All of us are important and all of us have a talent to contribute.
I have so many whys with no satisfactory answers. But we must find answers for our survival and for our children's survival, the future generations who must learn to love and cherish and hold dear and important their Jewish heritage. We must find answers to our whys for the survival of the only Jewish state in the world, Israel, who has given so much to the world despite world condemnation and untruths. We must raise generations to be strong, resilient, proud, outspoken, leaders. We must confront our whys, never stop asking why and demanding acceptance on our terms. We cannot afford to be silent. Our young people must be given the tools and the confidence to raise their voices as Jews and in defense of Israel. They must not be silenced by social media, peers, or any other form that seeks to silence them. To do this, we must become strong, resilient, vocal, and demanding, and we must teach young people also, to become these things. We must teach love of our heritage and to never let anyone make us feel "less than," and we must be proud that we are Ivrit!
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