By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — Mark Twain is often credited with saying, “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.”
As American Jews, we grew up hearing how “America is andrish,” the Yiddish word for “different.” We thought we would never hear new libels accusing the Jew of being a carrier of disease and pandemics. But now the plague is here again, we’re beginning to hear that same old rhyme again. We thought these libels were behind us; it turns out we were wrong. This is very hard for Jews because we want to believe that human nature is essentially good.
The ubiquity of anti-Semitism makes me wonder whether human nature is a good as its purported to be.
I remain a skeptic till proven otherwise.
For people incapable of critical and self-reflective thought, there is always a simple reason for the problems of today’s world: The Jews! But today’s Anti-Semitism is no longer willing to operate from the shadows; today, it is brazened and makes a point to be literally “in your face.” In this country, anti-Semitism will often come from both spectrums of the political right and political left. Protestors at an Ohio rally held signs depicting a rat wearing a Star of David and yarmulke that read “the real plague.” In New Jersey, the police arrested a 23-year-old man after he announced on underground sites favored by White Supremacists, he intended to target the Jews, whom he blamed for spreading coronavirus.
Such attitudes are nothing new in Jewish history. Anti-Semites often justified attacking and destroying Jewish communities because they were considered the primary cause of the Black Death. From Italy, through the Rhineland, France, as far west as Spain. The Jew was singled out as a scapegoat.[i] Between the years 1348 and 1351, European Christians accused the Jews of poisoning food, wells and streams. They were, tortured into making confessions, then rounded up in city squares, along with other Jews gathered at their synagogues, where they were exterminated en masse. Historians note that in the city of Strasbourg alone, 2,000 Jews were burnt alive by orders of the local council.
In France, someone made a caricature of Agnes Buzyn, France’s previous health minister who happens to be Jewish. In this cartoon, Buzyn is pouring poison into a well —but this time it’s in 2020. The posting has been shared tens of thousands of times.[ii]
Despite decades of trying to promote better Christian-Jewish relations, it appears as though our time cultivating interfaith programs has fallen short of the mark. One gets the impression the Christian community is not concerned about the spread of anti-Semitism. Who could imagine Christian ministers blaming the Jew for COVID-19? I realize the fanatics and zealots do not reflect the overall philosophy of the American church. But I have bone to pick with the mainline churches such as the Presbyterian Church and other Protestant churches, who choose to remain silent and apathetic.
Ever hear of Pastor Rick Wiles? Neither did I before the coronavirus pandemic. But Wiles is a right-wing conspiracy theorist and is also an avowed bigot who claims Jews seek to obtain control of countries and intend to murder millions of Christians. “Jews” according to Wiles, are “deceivers” who “plot, they lie, they do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda.” Wiles further claims God is spreading the coronavirus in synagogues because he is ‘dealing with those who oppose his son, Jesus Christ.” And who made the coronavirus? Wiles contends Israel’s Mossad “invented” coronavirus and that it is a bio-weapon funded by philanthropist George Soros.
The FBI has warned the Jewish community that neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups have called on members to spread the virus among Jews and police officers. Relentless and determined anti-Semites often target Jewish institutions and synagogues. Not even Zoom is insulated from their attacks, where the haters will “Zoom-bombed” and interrupted by anti-Semitic hackers.
The Church Needs to Fight Anti-Semitism
The San Francisco Theological Seminary is one of the main theological centers of the Presbyterian Church. On one occasion, Professor Walt Davis, the Dean of the Seminary, came up to me in 1996 and apologized for the Church’s indifference toward the Jewish community of Europe during the Holocaust. He asked me as a representative of the Jewish faith what he could do to atone for his Church’s sins. I told him that he should make sure the Church becomes a tireless critic of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Unfortunately, the Presbyterian Church has been hijacked by radicals for decades. Nevertheless, I believe there are fine people who need to take the reins of power away from the anti-Semitic wing of its church. I came across an old email someone from the Church had written a few years ago after the terrible Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in Squirrel Hill:
Although we ourselves may not have promoted anti-Jewish theologies, we nonetheless confess, before God and our Jewish sisters and brothers, the ways in which the Christian church has promoted hate through fear, false narratives, and poor interpretation. Although it may not be our fault, it is our responsibility to set the record straight in proclaiming that the God of Jesus Christ, who we worship, is also the God of Israel, and that our hope is in the reconciliation, not the division, of all peoples.[iii]
And Europeans still retain the crown for enabling anti-Semitism in their societies. They have demonstrated they have learned nothing from the horrors of the Holocaust. Perhaps the most profound Christian interpretation of this question comes from the early 19th century Baptist preacher, C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), where he writes about Cain’s question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
I put it to the consciences of many silent Christians, who have never yet made known to others what God has made known to them—How can you be clear from guilt in this matter? Do not say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” for I shall have to give you a horrible answer if you do. I shall have to say, “No, Cain, you are not your brother’s keeper, but you are your brother’s killer.” If, by your effort you have not sought his good, by your neglect you have destroyed him.”[iv]
Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, used to cite the verse, “Where is Abel your brother?” whenever he engaged leaders of the Lutheran community to assist in rescuing the Jewish people from the Nazis. To his chagrin, he felt bitter over the bishops’ lack of nerve. Bonhoeffer used to frequently quote the verse, “Who will speak up for those who are voiceless?” (Proverbs 31:8). Consequently, Bonhoeffer felt compelled by God to be the voice defending the Jews in Nazi Germany—a price he ultimately paid for with his life.[v]
NOTES:
[i] S. K. Cohn, Jr., “The Black Death and the Burning of the Jews,” Past and Present, 196 (2007): 3–36.
[iii] https://www.gtownpres.org/news-archive/a-pastoral-note-around-the-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting
[iv] C.H. Spurgeon and T. Carter, 2,200 Quotations: From the writings of Charles H. Spurgeon: Arranged topically or textually and indexed by subject, Scripture, and people (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995), 228. Vol. 33. 672.
[v] Christian History Magazine-Issue 32: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian in Nazi Germany” (Carol Stream, IL., Christianity Today 1991).
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Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom. He may be contacted via michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com