My heart broke twice this weekend.
My heart broke when Beth Israel burned in Jackson, Mississippi. An antisemite poured gasoline on the building and set it alight, destroying their library, several rooms, and two Torah scrolls. Smoke and ash spread throughout the sanctuary. Few images trigger intergenerational Jewish trauma more than burning synagogues and burning Torah. Even the word “Holocaust” comes from the Greek holókaustos: holos = to burn, kaustos = completely. The horror of a burning synagogue in 21st century America felt almost too much to bear.
But the heartbreak did not stop there. What truly stunned me was the online response. I expected to see blatant antisemites cheering and naïve antizionists insisting that “but for Israel” the synagogue would still stand. What I did not expect was the rush to cram this crime into existing political narratives. Some on the right immediately blamed Muslims or pro-Palestinian activists. Some on the left claimed it proved that White Christian Nationalism is “the real danger, the real antisemitism”. In both cases, Jews were treated like pieces on a political chessboard, useful only as a way to attack the other side. And all of it unfolded before we knew who committed this crime or why.
As long as we use acts of antisemitism to validate our political worldview and condemn our ideological opponents, we cannot fight this ancient hatred effectively. We must condemn antisemitism without conditions and without regard for its source. We must stand together. Otherwise, we hand antisemites a victory by allowing them to divide us.
Please consider donating to Beth Israel to help them persevere and rebuild.
