D'var Torah

As we approach our Chanukah festivities this weekend, we have a lot to celebrate. The congregation is thriving with activity and engaging in acts of service during our Winter Mitzvah Month, which kicks off this week. Chanukah is a multifaceted holiday, about spreading light in darkness and drawing close to family, friends, and community. It is also about facing threats to the practice of our religion and defending who we are.

Our experience this Chanukah season is mixed as well. We look forward to many celebrations, but we are also aware of threats — including the growing presence of antisemitism in our community and our nation. Watching this is frightening. We worry about our safety and well-being. It’s painful to see Jews targeted in public discourse and even with violence. We wonder what we as individuals, and as a Temple community, can do.

It’s worth shining a light on all the Temple is doing on this issue because we are a large congregation and important pieces can go unnoticed. Looking back over the last three years, we have had between two and four programs a year focused on antisemitism. To name a few, we hosted a Fairfax County Schools Town Hall on antisemitism with Superintendent Brabrand. We held a meeting with Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and other officials on law enforcement and antisemitism. We focused on the subject for one of our Yom Kippur Afternoon Discussion Hours. This past September we heard from our member, journalist Mark Greenblatt, and Heidi Beirich, an expert on antisemitism and White supremacy, as part of an initiative the Temple participated in through the Union for Reform Judaism and the ADL. Every year we have programs for teens about to attend college. We also speak out through sermons and in other ways. (Look for Rabbi Schwartzman’s column in the Falls Church News Press this week.) And, on January 11, we will be holding a members-only, Congregational Conversation on Antisemitism, designed to create a safe space for us to talk with each other about our thoughts and concerns about this issue.

It’s important to note that some of our most critical work combating antisemitism is in interfaith engagement, from the service here with thousands in attendance after the Pittsburg shooting in 2018 to the Sing for Hope concert that our cantors led on the National Mall, to name just two events.

When it comes to advocacy, we have two important organizations that work for all of us: the ADL and the Jewish Community Relations Council, or JCRC. When something happens that requires public statements or political activity, we rely on them. Antisemitism is complex. It comes from the right, left, and every other direction. Advocating effectively on the subject requires deep knowledge and nuanced communication. For this reason, our Temple’s leadership feels that our advocacy on antisemitism is best guided by the abovementioned organizations and our staff and clergy. A lot of that work happens behind the scenes. Some antisemitic incidents are black and white and responding to them is relatively straightforward. On others, we spend many hours explaining and dialoguing with interfaith partners, for example, on questions relating to Israel, or educating non-Jews about the elements of antisemitism that are not always obvious, and most of all, on maintaining, nurturing, and building those relationships and making sure Jews are well-understood, respected and valued in our community. We are deeply involved with the schools, including on calendaring, where we helped secure days off for minority religious holidays, and on other issues and incidents as they come up.

Many of you have asked recently, what can I do? What committee can I join to make a difference in fighting antisemitism? As you can see, this work is not confined to a committee. Every committee that is involved in education, social justice, youth work, community engagement, and Israel is involved in fighting antisemitism, which essentially means, every committee. You can act by getting or staying involved in all these things. Last week, some of you came to the legislative breakfast the JCRC holds every year at TRS, bringing a dozen local elected leaders together to meet with Northern Virginia Jews. That’s in preparation for Jewish Advocacy Day in February, when Jews go to Richmond to lobby on Jewish values that support all of Virginia. This includes antisemitism and other forms of hate. Just as importantly, this work shows that Jews are engaged in making the world a more just and peaceful place.

I hope it is helpful to see the breadth and depth of the Temple’s work on antisemitism and how each of us can play a role. When you have a concern about something you’ve seen or heard, please contact the ADL or JCRC. In addition, let us know, so we can support you, speak out if it’s appropriate, and call on relationships we may have with other parties involved to help resolve the issue. As we’ve said before, beyond advocacy, we fight antisemitism best by living our lives proudly as Jews, and by working to keep Jewish life rich and meaningful.

Shabbat Shalom, and may the Chanukah menorahs in our windows this year shine bright,

Rabbi Jeff Saxe