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The problem of evil and us

Parashat Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32)
[additional-authors]
October 23, 2014

So Noah heard God’s warning that the floodwaters were coming, understood that God would “take care” of the evil within his generation, and without second thought, began building the ark. He collected his family and the animals, endured 40 days of flooding and ensured the continuation of life on earth. 

Then, post-flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a reminder that God would no longer take responsibility for eradicating evil in our midst. God left the problem of evil to us. Evil is persistent and shape-shifting. Labeling something as evil is easy to do; responding pervasively to the dangers of evil is harder to grasp. 

This summer’s war with Hamas seems to have given permission to people worldwide to release a resurgent form of evil: their hatred, not just of Israel, but of all Jews. As Roger Cukierman, president of French Jewry’s umbrella organization, noted, “They are not screaming, ‘Death to the Israelis’ on the streets of Paris. They are screaming, ‘Death to the Jews.’ ” Yes, anti-Semitism is alive and well, and morphing through the minds of the naïve and the hateful. 

Back in his day, Noah was relieved of the responsibility of identifying the source of evil and acting upon it. God took care of that. We don’t have such luxury. Since Noah’s time, we humans necessarily assume responsibility to addressing the evil in our midst. We see the evil of anti-Semitism, and we must address it. 

5 ways to combat anti-Semitism 

1) We must watch the words we use, calling out publicly dangerous hate language. To help, we need to understand the origins of an ugly word, repeated recently by a Calabasas student who spewed it at another student. Although others heard it, alarmingly, no one protested. 

The word, “kike,” was born on Ellis Island when non-English speaking Jewish immigrants refused to sign their entry forms with the customary “X.” Associating an X with the cross of Christianity, they instead drew a circle, (a kikel in Yiddish, pronounced ky-kul). Soon, immigration inspectors called those signing with an “O,” a kikel (which morphed into kike). Sadly, the very signature that came to mean freedom for so many Jews was turned by into a hateful slur. Simply put, this word is vulgar, and we must teach our kids to protest its use. 

2) We must remember April 20, Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Around that date, anti-Semites and their naïve followers post heinous phrases such as, “Finish the job,” or “Back to the gas chambers,” referring to the need to finish exterminating the Jews. Recently in Oak Park, some students — both non-Jews and, incredibly, some Jews — repeated these phrases, then tweeted and retweeted them. We need to teach our youth that such language has no place in conversation. Explain that hateful words — against Jews or anyone else — have destructive power, even in jest. We must also banish the hateful words we use: shvartze, a Yiddish slur against blacks; faigele, a slur against gays; and even shiksa, an insult to non-Jewish women. Let’s train ourselves never to participate in such speech, nor condone it with our silence. 

3) Join the fight against anti-Semitism. Hate is best combated when we shine light into its darkness. As individuals, we lack strength to ensure that governments respond forcefully against anti-Semitism. But when we work together, we make a huge difference. Three Jewish organizations, in particular, do phenomenal work: American Jewish Committee (AJC.org), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL.org) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC.org). They collect data, publicize dangerous trends, guide political leaders to speak out and act in defense of Jews. Join these organizations to support their work. 

4) Work to perpetuate a strong America-Israel relationship. A secure Israel provides strength to an important center from which to combat anti-Semitism worldwide. I support Israel through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It works in each congressional district to ensure that we have a pro-Israel Congress. Of course, many other pro-Israel, pro-peace organizations do significant, meaningful work. Whichever you support, use its resources to continue educating yourself and others. 

5) Jewish community creates Jewish pride. If we want the next generation to understand why Judaism is beautiful and why anti-Semites are wrong, we need to invest our time, energy and money. Every significant study has shown that synagogues are the most successful gateway into Jewish knowledge, connection and pride. If you are part of a synagogue, thank you for investing in the Jewish present and future. If you are not, consider what it means to our people to have synagogues ensuring the Jewish future by educating the young, engaging teens, connecting adults, advocating for Israel and vocally fighting the hatred in our world. When you are done thinking, please join a synagogue. 

In Noah’s time, evil was pervasive, but he didn’t stand idly by. Noah built the ark and saved God’s creatures. The evil of anti-Semitism today is intense, serious and frightening. Let’s be like Noah, resolute and forthright in our work against the terrible anti-Semitism that reared its head again this summer. Let’s build a coalition of activists who will call out anti-Semitism to ensure that it loses its foothold in our world. 

Rabbi Paul Kipnes is spiritual leader of Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas. His recollections about his grandmother Esther’s bout with Alzheimer’s are published in “Broken Fragments” (URJPress, 2012). He blogs at rabbipaul.blogspot.com and tweets @RabbiKip.

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