Antisemitism has been on my mind a lot lately. Well, if we’re being honest, it’s on my mind a lot always. But especially now, we can see the writing on the wall. Messages of hate against Jews become normalized by celebrities and politicians and then the violence starts. Unfortunately, our people carry the generational trauma of constant persecution and so we know this dance when we see it. It’s why we call it out when it happens.
Lately, on top of it all, there are so many messages around qualifying our Jewishness. You’re a bad Jew if you support Israel in some circles. You’re a bad Jew if you have criticism of Israel in some circles. You’re a bad Jew if you don’t do certain religious practices. You’re a bad Jew if you do. The list goes on and so for a young adult who is at the point in which they are fortifying and defining their own Jewish identity, these messages can result in someone feeling scared to show their Jewishness.
Enter Hillel.
It is our job to remind them how amazing it is to be a part of this holy tribe and how they do Jewish is up to them. However they choose to manifest their Jewishness, well, we think it is all great. One of the best ways to fight antisemitism is to be proud and connected to our own Jewishness.
At Hillel we run a program called the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF), in part thanks to the generosity of the Mark M Gordon Jewish Learning Fellowship Fund, where we provide a stipend for students to learn using Jewish text, primarily Torah, as a way to understand the world around them every week for 10 weeks. Last year we had nearly 90 students participate. We continue to max out these classes every semester/quarter.
In one of our JLF sessions we grappled with the ephemeral nature of college. We explored how it impacts the idea of where home is and how to establish anchors when they are in such a transitional stage of life. One of my students shared that he was living in a very toxic situation with unhealthy roommate relationships but that home for him during that time was Hillel because he knew it was where he could be safe. During this session the conversation was fueled by Torah and by a Marc Chagall painting and by articles from My Jewish Learning. These young people are framing their understanding of the world through a Jewish lens and in turn becoming more anchored to their own Jewishness.
This is the gift you are giving the next generation through your support of Hillel of San Diego.
I pray for the day when antisemitism is a thing of the past. While it continues to rear its violent head time and time again, let’s arm our future with the fortified Jewish anchors that allow them to be strong and continue to be proud of their Jewishness.
