Jews have long been known as “the canary in the coal mine,” society’s heads-up for danger. If the canary is in trouble, it’s a sure sign there’s danger ahead for the coal mine. What starts with the Jews, in other words, never ends with the Jews.
Traditionally, that has been our best argument for focusing on antisemitism: Let’s nip this poison in the bud before it infects the whole country.
Today in America, however, we’ve gone way past that alert phase. The canary and the coal mine have merged and are both in trouble. As much as we’ve seen an alarming rise in antisemitism, we’ve seen an equally alarming rise in anti-Americanism.
When I say “anti-Americanism,” I don’t mean criticism of policies, sharp political disagreements or offensive speech, which are part of our tradition.
No, what I mean is more like contempt for the country; a sense of utter rejection. People who accuse America of being “irredeemably racist,” for example, strike me as decidedly anti-American, castigating a whole nation as irredeemable.
In recent years, we’ve seen signs everywhere of this “anti” movement. People are anti-Western, anti-colonialist, anti-white patriarchy, anti-Israel and, naturally, anti-enemy number one, America. These anti movements don’t try to improve anything. Being anti is the point; taking things down is the point.
Not surprisingly, we’ve also seen a decline in pro-Americanism. Having pride in America is now typically seen as a “MAGA thing,” good for yahoos who drive pick-ups and drink Schlitz. If you’re one of those college-educated elites who is anti-MAGA, and you associate MAGA with America, well, it’s not that big a leap to becoming anti-America.
This notion of politicizing patriotism is a tragedy, a sign that our societal bonds are corroding. Without shared ideals that bring us together, how can a nation hope to move forward without imploding?
We can’t even agree on our foundation story.
When The New York Times launched the 1619 Project to much fanfare a few years ago, in the wake of the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter protests, it reframed the story of America around its original sin– the arrival of a boat of slaves in 1619.
At the time, the mood of virtue signaling was so widespread, no one dared challenge this controversial reframing. The Project spread throughout schools and even won a Pulitzer Prize.
But a prize for what exactly? For replacing America’s birth year of 1776, when the foundational ideals of liberty and justice were forged by our Founding Fathers?
The 1619 Project rejected the American way of self-correction and accountability in the service of progress. Instead, it challenged the very foundation of our nation.
Should we be surprised, then, that people brazenly call America “irredeemably racist,” a country worthy of contempt?
Jews are in a tight spot. On the one hand, we must protect the Jewish “canary” and fight against the Jew-hatred rising throughout the country.
But at the same time, we can’t ignore the much larger American “coal mine” that has been so good to us and whose very identity is now being challenged by political and cultural forces.
Jews and America are bonded at the hip. As they shaped our nation, our Founders were not shy about quoting the Old Testament and the Prophets. Few groups have given back to this country as much as the Jews. As America goes, the Jews go.
If America is “irredeemably racist,” then so are the Jews. If America is in trouble, then so are the Jews. If more and more people are becoming anti-American, you can bet they’re also becoming anti-Jewish.
With America’s 250th birthday coming up next year, the Jewish community can show its gratitude to America by doubling down on our pride in this country; a country that is flawed but always driven, as President Obama would say, to build a “more perfect union.”
Jews have an opportunity to lead the way in reviving 1776 as our birth year. The New York Times was wrong. What defines America is not the sin of slavery that began in 1619 but the aspirational ideals that were established in 1776 – ideals that laid the foundation for progress in all areas, including the abolition of slavery.
As you’ll see in our cover story this week, we believe it’s time for a “Jews love America” campaign. What’s good for America is good for the Jews, and what’s good for the Jews is good for America.
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