Since its founding, America has been a haven for Jews. We have been able to practice our religion freely here. The rise in antisemitism these past few years has been jarring for me to witness, as someone who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, when life was simpler—pre 9/11. Growing up in New York City and northern New Jersey, in somewhat of a bubble, I never experienced antisemitism, even in college at Barnard and graduate school at NYU. Our kids are growing up in a more dangerous world. There’s no question about it.
The Jewish people have been in a 2,000-year exile since the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Jews have been living in the Diaspora, with no country of our own until the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. There has been a lot of persecution over the years, and we need to be grateful that America has overall been good to the Jews. A lot of Jewish blood was shed in Europe over the centuries, most recently with the Holocaust and mass extermination of 6 million Jews. Many survivors, including my maternal grandparents, welcomed the opportunity to immigrate to America after the Holocaust and start a new life in the “goldene medine.” They waited several years for visas post WWII, because they were not allowed in sooner.
We are comfortable here, but at the end of the day, we are not home. I’ve been thinking a lot about American democracy lately. We thought it was ironclad but have witnessed that it is more fragile than we imagined—look at January 6.
This might be controversial, but it’s an honest question: Is living in an American democracy our ultimate end goal as Jews? America has been good for Jews because its values have aligned with Jewish liberal values of bettering the world. And yes, tikkun olam and taking care of those who are less fortunate is an important tenet of Judaism. But, it’s also important to take care of our own well-being and safety. Many Jews felt unsafe post-October 7 on college campuses and on the streets of New York City. Antisemitism is at an all-time high.
I believe that Trump will change America and the democratic values that we are accustomed to. Yes, he is dismantling a lot of systems, some of which I value. This won’t be the same country that we once knew, and our children will grow up in a different world. Would the alternative have been better? That’s for each person to decide. Would Jews still be welcomed to live freely in America, with pro-Hamas protests on college campuses and rallies in the streets of New York City? At the very least, Trump has done a lot for the release of the hostages and has been supportive of Israel.
Does American law reflect Torah values? We are living under a foreign government, and these are man-made laws. It’s what we are used to, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way, or maybe even the right way.
Next month, we will celebrate the holiday of Purim. The story of Purim demonstrates the eternal vulnerability of being Jewish in the Diaspora, and the necessity not only of maintaining Jewish faith, but of vigilance and political judgment.
I don’t foresee America continuing to exist as we are used to. I hope that it will always be a welcome and safe place for Jews. Without the state of Israel, we could not live comfortably here in the Diaspora. It gives us legitimacy. Israel is our homeland, and whether we are lucky enough to already live there now, I believe as Jews we are all heading in that direction eventually. Hopefully, it will be on our own terms, and not escaping persecution.
