How Not to Self Destruct

By Jacqueline Lehrer
University of Ontario

The range and diversity of opinions always amazes me. This month’s theme is Jewish Stereotypes. When I read that, I openly shuddered. I remember attending my university convocation realizing with a sense of pride that my father would not be the only person wearing a kippah in the room. And even if he was, it would not stop me from being proud - not only of my accomplishments, but also proud of who I am as an observant Jew. After Shavuot, my sister got a call from the president of her USY region telling her personally of her new board position and the standards to which she must now conform. My heart swelled with pride as she replied that this was not the chore one might think, because she had been living this way her whole life.

Despite all this, I do not live in a bubble. I went on "March of the Living" and I have experienced varying degrees of anti-Semitism in different situations. Last year our Jewish Students Association had a table in the University Center every Tuesday. At the time, the president of the JSA told me that on one occasion, while booking the table, the person who was handling the reservation nodded and said, "Yeah Jew Tuesdays." Why? Because movies are cheaper on Tuesdays…

A more serious problem than public anti-Semitism arises when the stereotypes and the hatred come from within. A problem that we have had for a very long time is embarrassment over one’s Jewish identity. On the 17th of Tammuz we mark the start of a season of mourning in the Jewish calendar. This is three weeks before the commemoration of the 9^th of the month of Av. These fasts mark the siege and destruction of Yerushalayim.. Sinat hinam, baseless hatred between Jews, is blamed for this destruction.

We have not grown sufficiently beyond that point to rest on our laurels. Our inability to treat one another with respect remains a significant threat to our communal wellbeing. If we do not find and sustain our common ground, all our efforts to combat external forces will be for naught. Summer is a great time to redouble our efforts, draw strength from one another, and prepare to work together in the year ahead. That would be an even greater source of pride!

[Posted 7/7/05]