We need to add in a day of Jewish unity immediately following the day of Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av memorializes the days of woe for the Jewish people and our people’s unmitigated destruction and decimation. We need to institute an official day of the unit, such as a unity Nachamu Shabbat, to make up for the days of calamity [1].
The thought of Jewish unity may be met with great resistance by many. After all, aren’t we entitled to continue to ridicule one another, undercut one another, and gossip against one another? We have a right to feel and act this way. Don’t we?
Cause of Jewish Antisemitism- Continued Baseless Hatred!
Michael Laitman, PhD., a prolific author of many books on modern Kabbalistic thought, explains that the definition of learning Torah is to develop a love of others to resemble the Creator. The whole Torah was intended only to achieve this. This is why “Love your friend as yourself” is the great rule containing all Torah. It seems so darn simple, yet learning Torah and applying Torah thought differently has become a source of divisiveness.
The more we fight with one another, the more we create antisemitism waves that lash out at us. It is an inverse phenomenon. When Jews work together, we reduce the level of antisemitism. When we fight more and try to undermine each other, we create even higher and higher levels of antisemitism. We are essentially looking in a mirror that reflects to us the level of self-hatred between the Jewish streams. Think of it as an equation. Hatred, disdain, gossip, and negative chatter increase antisemitism. Peace, words of approval, cooperation, and support reduce the level of antisemitism overall. This is a chilling statement because it means we have a religious and spiritual basis for creating more unity. This is not simply a “feel good” objective but a national survival goal. There are dire negative consequences if we fail to ignore this call!
We don’t tend to think of ourselves as a nation but as the true remaining tribe of “true” Judaism. However, consider that each denomination makes up only a percentage of the whole. We don’t feel part of a “Jewish Nation” because of our dividedness. But like extended families, we need to consider ourselves only part of a whole people.
Our religious and progressive arrogance prevents us from seeing the whole for the parts.
Finding Agreements
Good negotiators who meet with estranged parties know that to get a negotiation, there have to be points of agreement. Points of agreement form the basis of a new reality of an agreement that can create communication and understanding again and get the two parties together.
Similarly, we can try to find points of agreement with the interaction of our Jewish brethren and seek to find ways we can discuss with one another things that we can agree upon and not try to “convert” or antagonize the other.
Tisha B’Av is the stark wake-up call for creating points of agreement. We never overcame the threat of antisemitism, and we have not seen the coming of Mashiach or a period of peace. So, the chain of events that occurred back then has not been rectified.
Cultivating An Open Mindset
Cultivating an open-minded mindset with a sense of acceptance is the mark of a nuanced person. Our educational systems, Shuls and Temples, seem to reinforce the “us versus them” mentality. But the truth is, there is no “us versus them” regarding survival. A Jew hater will not ask what stream you are from, how many mitzvot you’ve done, or how much you volunteer for progressive issues. He is simply going to attack you! It simply comes down to hating Jews hitting Jews, victimizing Jews-all types of Jews. This sobering realization can help us actively cultivate an open mindset.
I am not advocating abandoning your theological stances. In fact, studying more will help you feel secure in your knowledge so you can tolerate other perspectives that don’t agree with you without differentiating the type. It’s not important that you’ve donated a certain amount of money to a religious or progressive cause. In the eyes of the perpetrator, there is only a Jew that they see.
It is not an instant transformation. It requires many times where you can reframe things that help you become more tolerant. Realizing that when you make an attempt to be open-minded, you are contributing to Jewish unity.
Creation of another Holiday after Tisha B’Av
This is why we need to create another holiday after Tisha B’Av, a holiday of Nachamu that includes the theme of Jewish. Sponsoring an inter-denominational learning session or having an interdenominational brunch with a sought-after speaker with kosher food are great ways to integrate holiday ideas to create Jewish unity are needed. Having self-defense training classes or cultural events such as Yiddish theatre goes a long way to creating more Jewish unity. The key is to create events where Jews of different types can participate.
Apathy When there Needs to be Conviction for Unity
Creating Jewish unity is absent because it is a topic enshrouded in apathy. Jews have learned to wall each other off from one another by creating yet another separate synagogue or temple so that they don’t ever have to have contact with others. The lack of a religious or humanistic conviction that Jews should unite is thus absent.
Additionally, many Jews who grow up unaffiliated do not identify with either religious persuasion (right or left wing) and do not see this as an essential value that keeps the Jewish people in existence and continues to keep their traditions alive.
We pride ourselves on how much we can fight with one another rather than uniting with one another. Contention is a big part of denominations selling their brand to prospective congregants. Inherent in one synagogue is the bias against another synagogue. We can start to create more bonds if we create an awareness of this issue. Most of us don’t think we can function together despite our differences. It all starts with awareness.
This is not to say you cannot criticize other Jews. It just has to be in the proper context.
How are you going to start creating Jewish unity this year? If we can start looking at the time after Tisha B’Av to highlight this mindset and create a “holiday” during Shabbat Nachamu, we can start to highlight and breathe more life into the idea of Jewish unity.
Joshua Goldstein is the Chairman of the Herut NA (North America) and is on the board of directors. Herut is an international movement for Zionist pride and education and is dedicated to the ideals of pre-World War II Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky. More about Herut can be found at www.HerutNA.org–Please click on this link and consider joining him in this great organization.
