Why They Hate Us

In a small village in Lithuania, a young boy named Berel received a bicycle as a gift. Berel loved his bike and drove it every day, including Shabbat. The Rabbi heard about this and announced that Berel should henceforth be referred to as Berel the goy—the non-Jew. Berel heard about this and announced that he wanted to be buried in a non-Jewish cemetery when his time came.

The rabbi was shocked and demanded to know why. Berel explained: in a Jewish cemetery, they will spit on my grave and call me a goy; in a non-Jewish cemetery, they will spit on my grave and call me a Yid. With all due respect to you, dear rabbi, I would rather be called a Jew than a non-Jew.

Sometimes, our enemies know us better than we know ourselves. While we often try to blend in and be like them, they know exactly who we are.

This brings me to the subject of Antisemitism. They hate us, always have, and always will. They don’t hate religious Jews more than secular Jews or Israeli Jews more than Diaspora Jews. We saw that clearly on college campuses and city squares this past year. They don’t hate us for our Jewish practice; they hate us for our Jewish nose. They hate our very being, and they hate us equally.

Pharaoh was the first genocidal Antisemite, but he was the first in a long, infamous list. In every generation, they rise up to annihilate us, and but for the hand of G-d, we would no longer be. But that is precisely why they hate us. We have a bond with G-d that can’t come undone. G-d has had our back throughout history. No demagogue could destroy us. From Haman to Hitler, they all failed.

But we also have G-d’s back. He chose us to be His ambassadors to spread His values and commandments. Many Jews don’t identify as Divine ambassadors. They do their best to blend in and be like everyone else. If we want to know who we are, we should not ask ourselves; we should ask our enemies. They spit on us, but they tell us the truth.

Equality

Equality is one of the greatest gifts the Jewish people have given the world. The sanctity of life, education for all, and family values are some of the other great gifts we gave the world. They are the bedrock of Western values. The ideas that all people are endowed with the same G-d-given inalienable rights and that governments are the people’s servants, not their masters, are rooted in the Jewish teaching of tzelem elokim—that every person is created in the image of G-d.

This groundbreaking idea was unknown in the ancient world, which was predicated on deified kings who ruled by divine power. Aristotle believed some people are born with gold in their veins, others with silver, and others with copper. The copper people must serve the gold people for the world to have order.

The idea that every person is created in G-d’s image and is, therefore, entitled to equality, a vote, and an education was adopted by political philosophers like John Locke, who formulated the framework of Western Democracy. The Renaissance was largely due to the notion that everyone, not just clerics and kings, is entitled to an education and to espouse their ideas. This was a Jewish gift to the world.

But not everyone thought of these ideas as a gift. Not all countries embrace the ideals of equality. Many countries have a caste system in which one group is higher than others. Even within democratic countries, some political parties prefer certain groups over others. This is antithetical to Jewish values, but it is critical to dictatorship.

Dictators must fight a two-pronged war: a military war against their enemies and a philosophical and propaganda war against ideas. This is why Stalin and Hitler arrested and executed writers, poets, artists, and thinkers. The stroke of their pen was more dangerous to Stalin than bullets. Equality is the primary idea that dictators must discredit. Dictatorships topple when equal rights, opportunities, and freedom of expression prevail.

Dictators must preach that the ruling class is inherently superior and should be entrusted with power. They must make people believe that freedom of expression, mobility, commerce, etc., are dangerous tools in the hands of the masses. Bad actors can abuse them to spread misinformation and disinformation. They might use their wealth to make bad policy and spread mayhem. Only the elites should be trusted.

Hitler, may his name be blotted out, was the poster child for such propaganda. He preached genetic Aryan superiority. He thought that humanity would prosper under German domination and control. He believed that equality before the law and G-d is a seditious notion threatening humankind.

It is no wonder Hitler declared war on the Jews. Hitler had to fight the Allied forces militarily. But he had to annihilate the Jews to win the battle of ideas. Hitler wrote that Jews gave the world a scourge called conscience, which he declared the world’s most significant weakness.

Hitler made war against the Ten Commandments because they stand for things like honouring our parents ahead of the Fuhrer and prohibitions against murder, theft, and coveting. How can you prosecute a war to dominate the world if you can’t covet, steal, or murder?

Hitler made war against every Jew, not just those who studied Talmud and were familiar with Jewish ideas. He knew that Jewish values are intrinsic to us and that, irrespective of education, we will eventually return to our values and spread them to others. Hitler believed that every Jew must be annihilated because if even one Jewish baby survived, he would revive the disease of conscience. Hitler knew he could win on the battlefield, but victory depended on winning in the arena of ideas. For that, he made war against the Jews. He wrote that the real war was between Germany and the Jews; everything else was just a facade.

Take The Message to Heart

They tell a story about a Jew who was caught reading Der Sturmer, the official Nazi newspaper. His colleagues asked why he was reading antisemitic propaganda. He replied, “If I read the Jewish newspaper, I learn how weak and downtrodden we are. If I read the Nazi newspaper, I know how powerful and wealthy we are.

It is a bitter joke, but, like all jokes, it conveys a sobering truth. If we want to know our true strength, we must ask our enemies. They have our measure. Pharaoh, like Hitler, knew that his hold on Egypt and its role as a superpower depended on subduing the Jews so they wouldn’t be free to spread their ideas. That is what Jews do. We spread ideas. We are the people of the book; wherever we go, we write and disseminate books filled with ideas that empower the individual.

Let’s not shy away from our identity and mission. Let’s embrace our intrinsic strength and G-d-given mandate. Let’s teach the world the values of the Ten Commandments. Let the world shine with the light of our Torah. Let the world see that all that is wonderful about Western values is, in truth, Jewish values.

Let the world see it and let us live it.[1]

[1] For more on this subject, read Whose Afraid of The Big Bad Jew: Learning To Love The Lessons of Jew Hatred by Raphael Shore or watch Rabbi Shore’s latest film, Tragic Awakening.