February 05, 2010

Yitro Ex. 18:1-20:23  

Dear Friends:

While I try to use this weekly pre-Shabbat message as a time for inspiration, I need to depart from that format today to share something of concern with you.

At almost every session of our 9th and 10th grade class, I ask the students if they have any ethical dilemmas they are facing in their lives, or anything they would like to discuss. The latter has often brought up topics dealing with the realities of being a small minority in their schools. This past Sunday, though, added an interesting twist to the situation. One of the students commented that in her school, anyone who is annoying in any way, Jewish or not, is called “Jew” by other students. Variations include, “Don’t be such a Jew.” Needless to say, I was taken aback. I asked the other students, representing at least four different high schools, if they had similar experiences, and almost all of them did. I told them that I remember when the word “Jew,” as a verb, was a pejorative, as in “to Jew someone down,”—http://www.dictionary.com still gives this usage in its list of definitions—but that this usage of “Jew” as a noun was new to me. Many of the students reported that when the term was used in their presence, there was often an apology offered, to which I asked, “an apology that the comment was made, or that you heard it?” Almost universally, the students felt that there was little remorse that the comment was made, only that a Jew actually heard it. The part of this conversation that was most challenging for me was the fact that our students were not up in arms about this. They felt that it was a trend that would go out of style as quickly as it came into style, and it was mostly something they would endure until that time. Remember that all of this is going on in a day and age when two of the key buzz words of education are multiculturalism and diversity.

I try to be very judicious in crying out that something is anti-Semitic. There is the old joke about the man with the severe stutter who applies for a job as a radio disc jockey and screams anti-Semitism when he doesn’t get the job. I don’t want to be that person. Nevertheless, our history has taught us that anti-Semitism is rarely a trend, and that ignoring it rarely helps it disappear. To accept the name of our faith and our people as an insult is unacceptable and it must be addressed. It must be addressed with the schools our children attend, and it must be addressed with our children. We need to help them feel more confident speaking up, we need to remind them to be vigilant, and we must do all of this without making them panic. More than that, when others are using the word “Jew” as a put-down, we must remind our kids to wear it with pride. I want to encourage all of you to begin this conversation with your children and grandchildren and their schools. If I can provide any guidance or resources, please feel free to call on me.

Even in sharing this with you, I want to remind you that Shabbat should still be a time of joy for all of us. Please remember that services both tonight and next Friday will begin at 6:00 for First Friday and shelter opening respectively.

Shabbat Shalom u’m’vorach. Have a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.

Sincerely,

Jack P. Paskoff,

Rabbi