I am a proud Jew, I will not shy away - opinion

I am an unabashedly proud Jew. I do not hide the fact that I am Jewish – in fact, I announce it.

Anyone can see from 100 feet that I am Jewish because I wear a kippah in public. My kippah is not the size of a poker chip. My kippah sits comfortably on my entire head.

I proudly announce my Judaism.

Not everyone is like me. I am saddened to admit that many in the Jewish community believe they should hide their Judaism. They posit that being obvious about their Judaism will endanger them.

I am not just an unabashedly proud Jew; I am also an obvious Jew.

Of course, there are risks when one dresses Jewishly in this era of heightened Jew-hatred. Jews have become targets while simply walking down the street in Manhattan or riding the subway. However, that has been the case for as long as I can remember.

My kippah sometimes elicits sneers, snide comments, and even some hateful remarks. But in my experience, there are many more compliments and praise than evil, vituperative, vile, angry attacks at me as a Jew and a lover of Israel.

Make no mistake, both the welcome blessings as well as the unwelcome curses are directly addressed to me as an obvious Jew who loves Israel. Both friend and foe immediately conclude my marriage of Judaism and love of Israel.

There are many Jews in the US who quake in fear. They think that if they downplay their Judaism, the Jew-hatred will dissipate; if Israel acted differently, life would be easier for Jews in the Diaspora.

These Jews are so very wrong.

This current wave of hatred toward the Jews doesn’t need a reason. Israel did not cause the hatred. Public, obviously Jewish-looking Jews like myself did not cause this hatred.

This current wave of Jew-hatred is visceral. It is deeply ingrained.

Blaming the victim – in this case, the Jew and Israel – for the hatred against it is backward. 

Jews that are obviously Jewish in the Diaspora are united together with Israel. There might be some disagreement about this policy or that, but these same “Jewish Jews” in the Diaspora want Israel to succeed – not just to exist.

Survival and existence are not the benchmark measurements of success for Jews and Israel. For Jewish Jews in the Diaspora, Israel is a Mecca of creativity; it is the heart and soul of Jewish life.

As fulfilling as Jewish life is in New York City, part of that creativity and fulfillment is because of being nurtured by Israel.

There is an umbilical cord connecting the communities. When Israel aches, so too does Diaspora Jewry.

The impact on all communities

RECENTLY, THE small synagogue, or prayer hall, that I frequent took down the sign outside that read in Hebrew, beit midrash, which means study hall. It was not replaced.

The neighbors, some Jewish and some not, were afraid that the sign in Hebrew would draw attention and increase the risk to themselves and their property. Some members of the small synagogue agreed with the neighbors, and indeed, the sign was taken down. The front of the brownstone was nicely painted, removing all identifying marks that once held a sign.

I opposed the decision. They are wrong to cower in fear or to think that we can control the hatred against Jews.

On April 1, 1933, the Nazi government required all Jews to wear a yellow badge. On April 4, the largest-circulation Jewish German periodical, Juedische Rundschau, ran an article by Robert Weltsch. The periodical was the arm of the German Zionist organization, and Weltsch was the editor. The title was “Wear the Yellow Badge with Pride.”

He wrote, “Today, the Jews cannot speak except as Jews. Anything else is utterly senseless.”

He concludes the essay by writing that in the “signs and inscriptions, one often saw windows bearing a large Magen David, the Shield of David the King. It was intended as dishonor. Jews, take it up, the Shield of David, and wear it with pride!”

We are not living in Germany in 1933. There is no parallel. That said, we should not be ashamed or fearful. Jewish history is chock-full of exciting epochs and so many creative communities. It is also peppered with tyrants and places that were inhospitable to Jews, and yet Jewish communities continued to be creative and soar to great heights.

Today, especially because of Israel, that rubric is still in place. And Israel helps sustain Jewish communities that are under threat. Because just as Jewish communities feel Israel’s pain, Israel feels the pain of Diaspora communities.

The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on the Jewish Broadcasting Service.