By Joshua Yudkin
I recently returned from the American Jewish Committee’s Inaugural Craig and Flori Roberts Fellowship for Emerging Leaders fellowship retreat, where I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with 28 Jewish and non-Jewish leaders reconceptualizing how we combat antisemitism and hate in our post-Oct. 7 reality. Returning, I want to encourage everyone to find power in telling your own Jewish story.
In a world increasingly defined by postmodernity, truth and rigorously researched information are challenged and often drowned out by misinformation and disinformation. Leading global political institutions and legacy news organizations repeatedly fail to confirm information prior to publishing; the very profession of journalism and the protections afforded to journalists have been abused and called into question. Critical thinking has been almost entirely replaced by misleading soundbites and grotesque hyperreality. Similar trends can be found in scholarship, where intellectuals have incorrectly applied important concepts like antiracism, feminism and decolonialization to a context with which they are unfamiliar. These missteps have downstream effects, including inciting hateful rhetoric and unleashing prejudicial behavior, as well as threatening the safety and perceived safety of Jews and Israelis worldwide. Given these new conditions, how might we best combat antisemitism and hate?
Authentic storytelling. Judaism has been said to be the world’s oldest startup, since we constantly need to innovate to survive. Yet, while accounting for the changing geography, culture, politics, language and temporal trends in which the Jewish community exists, our commitment to authentic and collective storytelling stays constant.
Storytelling is our communal ritual for actively remembering; and memory is the Jewish life force. The late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explained, “Memory is about identity…. Memory is my story, the past that made me who I am, of whose legacy I am the guardian for the sake of generations yet to come. Without memory, there is no identity; and without identity, we are mere dust on the surface of infinity.” Remembering for Jews is an active and reflexive process for both the storyteller and listener of exploring the past to create a meaningful present and promising future. Albert Einstein might have summarized it best when stating, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
We co-author our living Jewish story every day — and the more of us who participate, the more authentic it is. There is no title, there is no degree and there is no perquisite to participate: All Jews can and must contribute to telling our story. In some moments, it is a story of allyship with friends and family both within and outside of our community. In other moments, it is a feeling of being alone, unable to show up as your full self. Some of us might choose to participate in a rally to free hostages. Others might question if it is safe to wear your Star of David necklace to the doctor. Some wonder if they should send their children to Jewish day school given the increased threats. Others might choose to enroll their child in Jewish day school next year. Our story is a tapestry of these decisions and memories woven together.
It feels timely to acknowledge that Passover, perhaps the most iconic storytelling holiday, is around the corner. During the Seder, we acknowledge the four children — the wise, wicked, simple and one who does not know how to ask. By doing so, we acknowledge the different temperaments, talents and convictions within our community and within ourselves. At my family’s Seder, we alternate reading each paragraph — in English, Hebrew and in song — depending on who is reading that section. Sometimes sections are even replaced altogether with supplemental readings or reflections. Each person — both Jewish and non-Jewish — tells the Passover story in a meaningful and authentic way for them.
I want to tell you part of my Jewish story. My Hebrew name, Yehudah, shares the same shoresh (root) as the word for Judaism or Jew, which means praise or thanksgiving. My hot take is that Judaism is gratitude: It is finding inspiration from our past, to live with purpose in the present and stay relentlessly optimistic about the future. In “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Jews are approximately 0.2% of the global population, which means most people are unfamiliar with Jewish peoplehood, much less our lived experience. As we have seen throughout millennia, we are an easy scapegoat. Since Oct. 7, the AJC’s “State of Antisemitism in America Report” finds that 77% of Jews feel less safe in America, 56% of American Jews altered their behavior due to fear of antisemitism and 33% have been targeted by antisemitism. Simply stated, Oct. 7 is not in the past for American Jews. Yet, with rising antisemitism, we can choose how we respond; and for many, it is connecting with and sharing their Judaism and Jewish community.
What is your Jewish story?
Dr. Joshua Yudkin currently serves as an executive committee member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas’ Community Relations and Public Affairs Department and works at the intersection of community building and public health.