For perhaps the first time since the Yom Kippur War, Jews from across the political spectrum were able to find common ground.

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“Who is a Jew?” may be considered a politically charged question, but it actually has an easy answer. Simply stated, a Jew is defined by Halakha (Jewish law) as one born of a Jewish mother or who joins the Jewish people in accordance with Jewish law. That is the baseline accepted by everyone – it is neither vague nor ambiguous and is a question to be determined by the Jewish people themselves.

However, the question “what do Jews do?” is more controversial because it often implicates perceptions and stereotypes instead of substance and presumes unflattering definitions foisted upon us from the outside. Moreover, it is often employed by anti-Semites to disparage Jewish integrity, provoke discord, and shatter Jewish unity.

Even without the pressures of antisemitism, divisions within Jewish society can seem insurmountable to the point of dysfunction.

Since October 7th, however, the Jewish world has come together in a spirit of “achdut” (oneness) not seen in a long time, and it seems to have restored the Torah imperative to seek commonality rather than dissimilitude. As stated in the Gemara (Shevuot, 39a), “kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” or “all Jews are responsible for one another.” Forgetting this principle in the past has led to senseless hatred among Jews, which according to the Sages was the reason for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Whereas deviations from core halakhic doctrines and principles may well be irreconcilable, other differences are often illusory or based on acquired local custom. Many Jews have experienced the discomfort of non-substantive parochialism.

I had such an experience a few months ago when returning from a trip to New Orleans on an indirect flight with a layover in Florida. The first plane departed New Orleans too early for me to daven Shacharit (the morning prayers), so I planned to do so while waiting for my connecting flight in Fort Lauderdale. As I donned my tefillin in Fort Lauderdale International, however, I got sideways glances from a nearby group of Haredim – I suppose because I wasn’t dressed like someone they would expect to see davening in an airport (I was wearing khaki pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and sneakers because I like to travel in comfort). Few frequent flyers would have looked twice at yet another Jew praying while waiting for a flight, but I was regarded curiously by fellow Jews because I dressed differently and wore a different hat. And some of them did a doubletake when, after finishing, and I pulled a Hebrew book out of my carry-on to study while waiting to board.

Although I found it humorous, the incident made me consider how even peripheral differences between Jews can detract from the symbiotic responsibilities discussed in the Gemara. And perhaps it took a national catastrophe to help us overcome our superficiality and realize our obligations to Klal Yisrael.

A week after Hamas’s brutal attack, I was in court with a client who happened to be a Satmar Hasid, and as we were waiting for our case to be called, we discussed how the war was affecting friends and family in Israel. He expressed nothing but worry and compassion for his fellow Jews, whether secular or observant. Though his community never supported political Zionism, disapproval of secular governance does not constitute a rejection of Jewish peoplehood or desire for national destruction. Moreover, he saw no moral difference between radical leftists who reject Torah-inspired nationhood and those Neturei Karta outliers (an extremist haredi minority) who openly side with Israel’s enemies.

The Talmudic dictum that “all Jews are responsible for one another,” he said, demands that we all pray for the citizens of Israel because we are part of the same “mamlechet kohanim v’goy kadosh” (kingdom of priests and holy nation) wherever we happen to live. His concern for the safety and welfare of all Israelis was sincere and it mirrored the spontaneous love and support we have seen among many Israeli Jews themselves – whether Haredi, religious Zionist, secular, or somewhere in between.

One particular video (now viral) expressing this sentiment shows a group of shtreimel-wearing Hasidim visiting evacuees from southern Israel (most of whom appeared to be secular) to embrace them, dance, and show support in the face of adversity. It was a moment of pure achdut demonstrating the bond between all Jews despite differences in appearance or observance.

As expressed by my Satmar friend, there are no insurmountable differences between Jews, and those in Diaspora should be concerned for their brethren in Israel as if the war were on our own doorstep. And his observation proved prescient within a few days, when the war was effectively exported to the larger Jewish world as progressive, antisemitic pro-Hamas mobs polluted university campuses and major cities throughout North America and the West, with rabid demonstrators shouting, “death to Israel” and “gas the Jews.”

For perhaps the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Jews from across the political spectrum were able to find common ground and recognize Jew-hatred without partisan blinders. Many Jewish Democrats finally acknowledged the existence of antisemitism on the left and within their own party and conceded that white supremacists are not driving the train. Some even began to question liberal political loyalties handed down for generations by parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, acknowledging that conservatives and Republicans are generally more serious about confronting antisemitism and supporting Israel than progressive Democrats.

Radical elements of the Jewish left, unfortunately, continue to pillory Israel, with some applauding Hamas and falsely claiming that terrorism is caused by an “occupation” that does not exist. Others, including some progressive rabbis, have lobbied the Biden administration to impose a ceasefire before Israel can achieve her military goals, which would actually threaten Jewish lives. Though leftist clergy nonsensically insist that such advocacy reflects Jewish values, it actually shows gross ignorance of Torah, including the law commanding: “You shall not stand idly by the shedding of your fellow’s blood.” (Vayikra (Leviticus), 19:16.) This is further elucidated in the Talmud, where it states: “The Sages taught…From where [is it derived] that with regard to one who pursues another…to kill him, [the pursued party] may be saved [at the cost of the pursuer’s] life? From the verse stating: ‘You shall not stand idly by the blood of another.’” (Sanhedrin, 73a.) Thus, forcing Israel to lay down arms before destroying Hamas would be inconsistent with Halakha and antithetical to Jewish values.

Considering the wave of solidarity binding diverse segments of the Jewish world together after Hamas’s genocidal attack, those who advocate forcing Israel to capitulate have abdicated any moral authority their status as clergy or community leaders might otherwise imply. It is important for the Jewish establishment to recognize this and resist the partisan cajolery of those who rationalize or condone leftist and minority Jew-hatred or treat Israel as a pariah state. But this may be difficult for organizations that skew leftward and have a history of ignoring antisemitism from progressives and the identity communities they coddle.

It is equally important for those who have always stood with Israel and were never blind to leftist antisemitism to recognize who our friends truly are. They should not automatically affirm the sincerity of all who profess love for the Jewish people during times of crisis without first scrutinizing their motivations. Indeed, some (perhaps many) effusive Christian advocates of Israel in this war have ulterior motives, especially those Torah-ignorant missionaries who are using the opportunity to escalate evangelical activity in Israel. It is not at all ironic that even as Hamas seeks our physical extermination, missionaries pursue our spiritual destruction under the guise of friendship and so-called Judeo-Christian traditions that exist only in the Christian mind.

If Jewish unity in the face of Hamas’s atrocities and the ensuing war teaches anything, it is that Jews can only rely on themselves, their common history, shared beliefs, and enduring faith in G-d to overcome any and all existential threats – whether physical or spiritual. It also emphasizes that Jews cannot depend on external goodwill or a global community that has a history of undermining Israel and enabling or perpetrating genocide against them. At the end of the day, Jews must draw on their bond as a nation and their belief in HaShem’s providence.

Indeed, King David expressed this latter sentiment in verse nearly 3,000 years ago, when he wrote:

“A song for ascents. I shall raise my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come. My help is from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter; Your Guardian will not slumber. Behold the Guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Tehillim, 121:1-4.)

The Jewish People need look no further for strength and guidance.

©2023. Matthew Hausman, J.D.. All rights reserved.

Attacks on Muslims and Jews are treated very differently.

On Nov 5, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, was killed at a pro-Israel rally in California.

A pro-Hamas protester had previously displayed a gun to intimidate the pro-Israel ralliers. While Kessler lay bleeding on the ground, the Muslim protesters chanted, “Hitler should’ve smashed you ” and threats of violence from Hamas. The media reported none of this, instead it described the killing of Kessler as an accident. Once the killer was arrested, CNN did not interview Paul’s friends, but quoted claims that his Muslim assailant was really a “man of peace.”

Few local officials, no state officials and certainly no one in the Biden administration said a word.

On November 25, three Arab Muslim men were shot in Burlington, VT, during a confrontation with Jason James Eaton, a mentally unstable Biden supporter described as “the hippie guy.”

Even though Eaton had denounced “Amerika” as “imperialist and corrupt,” was not Jewish, had no apparent interest in Middle East politics or Israel, politicians and the media without a single shred of evidence claimed that the wounded Muslim men who identified as ‘Palestinian’ had been targeted because of Israel’s campaign against Hamas and an imaginary ‘Islamophobia’.

Paul Kessler’s killer was not arrested at the scene and not arrested at all until ten days later. Bail was initially set for him at $1 million, which was cut to $50,000, and he’s out on the street.

Eaton was arrested by agents of the ATF, a federal agency, and is being held without bail. The FBI and “several other federal, state, and local agencies” are investigating the shooting of the three Muslim men. No such investigation was tracked for Kessler’s death in California.

While Biden did not comment on the killing of Paul Kessler, Biden issued a statement about the wounding of the Muslim men, declaring that, “there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America” implying without evidence that there had been some hateful motive in the altercation.

Kamala Harris, who had made no statement about Paul Kessler’s killing, even though it took place in her home state, claimed that “far too many people live with the fear that they could be targeted and attacked based on their beliefs or who they are.”

Governor Phil Scott, Senator Peter Welch, Senator Bernie Sanders, and numerous other public officials also issued statements. So did multiple senators who aren’t even from Vermont.

Sen. Welch condemned “hate and Islamophobia” and claimed that the “conflict in the Middle East have brought an alarming spike in Islamophobic incidents across the United States.”

The same media outlets which had minimized or ignored Paul Kessler’s death launched a full-court press promotional campaign for the Burlington shootings. NBC News deployed a ‘liveblog’ site to cover a few seconds of violence that quickly ended with Eaton’s arrest. NBC showed a photo of one of the Muslim men, who is 20 years old, as an 11-year-old boy.

NBC News provided a platform for the Muslim men and their Islamic allies to blame Israel for the shooting and promote the terrorist cause. This was not a privilege provided to the dozen black people shot in Chicago around the same time.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson claimed, falsely and without evidence, that the shooting was “latest evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate spiraling across this country and around the world”. Despite that she was booed off the stage at a ‘vigil’ for not agreeing to boycott the Jewish State. Then a professor read a letter from the injured Muslim man claiming falsely that Israel would have shot him and left him to die.

The vast difference between how Paul Kessler’s killing and the wounding of the Muslim men were treated is a microcosm of the political bias and media narratives. The media rushed to cover the Burlington shootings, but rushed to cover up Paul Kessler’s death. Politicians issued statements about what happened to the Muslim men, but not about what happened to Paul.

The attack on Paul was indisputably motivated by hatred for Jews. It came in the context of support for the mass murder of Jews and chants about Hitler. Yet the media has refused to discuss any of that. It has however covered non-stop an altercation in which the motive is unclear as if it were demonstrably occasioned by hostility to Arabs, Muslims or “Palestinians.”

This is not anecdotal: it’s part of an ugly pattern of political and media double standards.

Since the Hamas massacres of Oct 7, there has been a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents and on campuses, 73% of Jewish and 44% of non-Jewish students described witnessing antisemitism. But those are just statistics. What does it look like on the ground?

On the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Museum of Tolerance screened footage of the Hamas atrocities, and was descended upon by a pro-terrorist mob that justified the violence. Members of the Jewish community were assaulted by the pro-Hamas mob. Neither the media nor local officials condemned one of the most brazen antisemitic campaigns in American history.

Mayor Karen Bass reposted a media report misleadingly describing a scene in which “two groups outside LA’s Museum of Tolerance” clashed and condemned “unacceptable violence” rather than the equivalent of the KKK showing up in a black neighborhood. No public officials to my knowledge issued a statement condemning an attack on a Holocaust museum on the anniversary of Kristalnacht. Some of those officials, including DA George Gascon, list endorsements from the hate groups behind the attack. Some of the leftists responsible have since targeted another Holocaust museum in the Los Angeles area with pro-terrorist rallies.

In another part of Los Angeles, Daniel Garcia, a leftist activist, broke into the home of a Jewish family and threatened to kill them, “because you are Jewish… Israel kill people.” As he was being arrested, he went on shouting, “Free Palestine” and “Brown Lives Matter”.

Despite his long history of leftist activism, which included working as a field organizer on the Bernie Sanders campaign and serving on the boards of multiple leftist groups, the official word was that he was suffering from mental illness. And that it was not a political act.

In reality, Garcia had a long history of posting anti-Israel material on social media. After being released, he went on posting it including videos from terrorists attacking Israel. His social media, with its BDS videos, Islamic propaganda, Norman Finkelstein clips and all the rest of it is easily publicly accessible. No one in the media has bothered to report on it. And it will stay that way.

The Left has not even broken ties with Garcia in the aftermath of his attack on a Jewish family.

Attacks on Jews and Muslims are treated very differently for political reasons. Unless the attacks on Jews are carried out by far-right perpetrators, they are ignored and buried. When they are carried out by Muslims or anti-Israel leftists, they’re covered up, not reported on.

A Muslim can kill a Jewish man in broad daylight and the media will try to minimize it. Leftists and Muslims can attack a Holocaust museum on the anniversary of one of the most infamous dates in the Holocaust, and politicians and the media will call it a “both sides” problem. And a Leftist calling for the murder of Jews and ‘free Palestine” can invade a Jewish family’s home and it will strictly be a local crime story. But when there is any incident involving Muslims, it automatically becomes front page news regardless of how little evidence there is to it.

Anything that bolsters the ‘Islamophobia’ narrative and the claim that Muslims are the victims is always in demand.

On Oct 23, Hesham A. Ayyad claimed that a driver hit him with a car while shouting, “kill all Palestinians,”and “long live Israel.” CAIR demanded that the police and the FBI “collect all the information they need to charge this individual with a hate crime.” Vox quickly picked it up. So did other media outlets. Police however found he had actually been beaten up by his brother.

Vox has yet to correct its story which still lists it among other “Islamophobic” crimes caused by Israel’s war against Hamas.

Why did Paul Kessler’s killer think he could get away with it? And why have there been so many open attacks on Jews, especially on college campuses, in the past month? Because politicians and the media have shown that some lives matter more than others. Jewish lives don’t matter.

Only Muslim lives do.

AUTHOR

DANIEL GREENFIELD

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All right reserved.