Rabbi Widzer's Library

There are so many possible topics to write about for an article for the Kol at this time of year. We are looking forward to Post-Confirmation Graduation and bidding farewell to our high school seniors. We will soon celebrate Shavuot and Confirmation with our 10th graders. Exciting plans are already afoot for next year at TBS for worship, music, education, governance, and more. Jewish living and learning continue with great success. There is much that is so wonderful in our congregation’s present and near future.

However, though there are many positive things that are happening, I do feel the need to share with you some concerns I have. They are not (thank goodness) explicitly about our TBS community, but about some disturbing trends in our country as a whole. I am worried about some fundamental values.

I am concerned about the increase we are seeing in antisemitism. The ADL just reported an all-time high number of antisemitic incidents across the United States in the past year, a 5% increase from 2023 and a 893% increase over ten years ago. From our recent class on the history of antisemitism in America, we know that antisemitism has never been absent in our country. While there have been periods where it has been less prominent or overt in civil society, we are certainly in a time when it is sadly much more prevalent and more acceptable. Hatred and prejudice seem to be overwhelming the values of acceptance and diversity.

I am also concerned at the recent willingness by some segments of our government to ignore democratic norms, including the role of due process and the rule of law. This is most alarming in instances concerning the treatment of immigrants, documented and undocumented, and foreign students. I share every American’s desire for safety in our country and security at our borders. I also share in the American belief in the rule of law that has been a bedrock of our society for nearly 250 years. And, even more fundamentally, I believe in our Torah’s teaching, “Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof,” “Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20), which our sages interpreted as teaching that only just means must be used to pursue just ends. There may or may not be grounds to deport specific people, to remove them from our country. But this is to be ascertained by standard procedures and with due process within our legal system. The disregard of these democratic norms is very troubling.

I am particularly concerned when our values are erroneously placed in tension with one another. Some of the subversion of due process has been undertaken in the name of fighting antisemitism. This implies the false thinking that legal norms and Jewish safety cannot coexist. Preventing hatred of Jews, even if authentically intended, cannot be an excuse for disregarding the rule of law. Several mainstream Jewish organizations, including the leading institutions of Reform Judaism, recently issued a statement noting, “It is both possible and necessary to fight antisemitism – on campus, in our communities, and across the country – without abandoning the democratic values that have allowed Jews, and so many other vulnerable minorities, to thrive.” We need to be safe from senseless hatred. And we also need to be sure that the rule of law, which has kept us safe, is upheld.

Our values, Jewish and American, demand vigilance. Fighting antisemitism requires action from all levels of government, civic organizations, and people of good will. Working together to combat antisemitism will keep the Jewish community secure and feeling safe. At the same time, the rule of law and the norm of due process must be upheld. Anything less actually makes the Jewish community less safe, as unlawful treatment happening to someone can eventually lead to unlawful treatment happening to anyone.

There is much that is challenging and concerning in the world today. But staying true to our values, standing up for them, and striving to live by them will enable us to make it through these difficult and complicated times.