Response and Comments to “Die Zeit : Kein Besseres Land für Juden”
I wanted to add a few comments to the article that was published by “Die Zeit” this Passover/Easter weekend:
First of all, I am deeply grateful for the article— its breadth and its general positivity. Since I moved to Europe, most times when I have seen any article about Judaism in anything larger than a standard news item, the cover picture is that of the Exotic Jew – black hat, payot – which although represents a percentage of Jewry, is not in anyway representative of all or even the majority of Jewry. This article represents hope, as it is a different portrayal within a deeply complex society.
That being said, from comments I have read and already received, I would like to comment specifically on one quote in the article that needs clarification and expansion. Frau Jeska and I spoke at length on a variety of topics for most of a day, and naturally complex thoughts needed to be distilled and redacted for the purpose of the space of an article. The comment, however, that I believe I need to address is the one tying Christianity and anti-Semitism:
Die Kartoffeln sind geschält, da mäandert das Gespräch schließlich doch zum Antisemitismus. Schale um Schale kringelt sich auf dem Schneidebrett, und darunter kriecht das Gespenst einer globalen Christenheit hervor, die den Judenhass in sich trägt, trug und immer tragen wird. Die es wieder wagt, ungeschminkt antisemitisch zu sein und Juden den Raum zu nehmen. Strasko sagt so etwas wie, die Zeit der Ruhe für die Juden sei vorbei, die Juden seien weltweit wieder auf Wanderschaft. Doch kaum einer wolle sie haben – bloß Deutschland.
Translation: “The potatoes are being peeled, and eventually the conversation meanders to anti-Semetism. Peel after peel curls onto the cutting board, and from among them creeps out the ghost of a global Christianity that carried, carries and shall always carry within it hatred of Jews . . . that dares again to be openly anti-Semitic and push away the Jews. Strasko says something like, the time of calm for Jews is past and world wide Jewry is once again (being forced) to move. Of course no one really wants them – merely Germany.”
The bolded quote from the article is not my quote, simply an artistic distillation of a long conversation. I had pointed out what many scholars believe, that anti-Jewish sentiment has had two distinct phases and is now entering a third: originally hatred of Jews was a religious hatred, including official Church doctrine dating from the 4th Century institutionalizing that Jews killed Jesus, and setting the stage for centuries of religious-based persecution. The second phase crystalized in the 19th century and manifested as a racially based hatred, truly “anti-Semitism” rather than anti-Judaism. The third and emerging is out of scope for what I am writing in this post, but specifically deals with the ever-growing critic of Israel and how that at times, although not in all cases, can cross the line and tap into the anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism of the past.
Do I personally believe that Christians are inherently anti-Semitic? No, emphatically no. The interfaith work that I prize so highly and that aspect of my rabbinical duties would be absurd if I believed that to be so. From the religious standpoint, I believe however, and yes this is controversial, that it is very difficult to wipe away from collective consciousness the 1600 years of doctrine that so influenced society. The shock of the Holocaust led to a type of reprieve that is now nearly over, and many of us naively thought that time of “Ruhe” was the new reality rather than a three-generation reprieve. This does not mean, by any means, that I believe that Christians are in the process of becoming suddenly more anti-Semitic. Rather, it means that the underlying issues that led to centuries of persecution have never been fully addressed. Recent published surveys of European perspectives towards Jews show a significant rise of anti-Jewish sentiment, and the recent comments in one European parliament that essentially leveled a blood libel clearly indicate that times are shifting in ways that can easily keep one awake at night and which contain a religious component.
As a Jew and a Rabbi, my comments and positive sentiment regarding Germany, as controversial as they may be within and without the Jewish community, nonetheless come from a hope that I feel regarding Germany that is worthy of mentioning. In Germany there is indeed education and dialogue regarding the Holocaust and it is a country in which I can live in openly as a Jew, engage in dialogue at all levels, and imagine a viable future. I have been embraced by religious as well as secular communities in Germany, something that is not as accessible or possible across Europe. I do not pretend to speak for anyone but myself with my hopes, but the hope is nonetheless there.
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