The fight against antisemitism and antizionism is reaching a fever pitch.
It dominates Jewish conversations across the country. Every new incident, every new political victory for an antisemite, raises the temperature.
No wonder “America is no longer safe for the Jews!” has become our new mantra.
But this is a trap.
Jew-haters would love nothing more than to turn Jews against America. This would only reinforce the antisemitic trope of Jews as “outsiders” who don’t belong here and whose true loyalties lie elsewhere.
Perhaps without realizing it, we’ve allowed the rise in hostility toward Jews to undermine our very connection with this country that has given us so much.
Call it the law of unintended consequences.
Our justified anxiety about our community’s safety is validating an inhospitable, disappointing America instead of the great America we’re used to.
Our fight against Jew-hatred, in other words, is isolating us.
How can we continue the fight while staying connected to America? It’s a delicate needle to thread, but if we don’t make it a priority, we will further isolate ourselves and make a bad situation exponentially worse.
We can’t settle for the “canary in the coal mine” cliché of “first they come for us and then they come for you.” As true as that is, it only plays on fear.
We need to play on connection and gratitude.
At a time when anti-Americanism as become as alarming as antisemitism and antizionism, the Jewish community must declare that we are unequivocally on the side of America.
We can’t roll our eyes and say, “Of course we’re for America! Why do we need to say it?”
We need to say it because it is no longer obvious.
In our book, “250 Reasons to Thank America,” we include 50 reasons why Jews are especially grateful for America.
This sentiment of gratitude must be integrated in all our efforts to fight antisemitism and antizionism.
So far, that fight has conveyed mostly a “Jews for Jews” attitude where Jews come across as concerned only with their own.
What gets lost is a “Jews for America” attitude, a truth we have unintentionally abandoned in the midst of our crises.
An America that hates Jews is not the real America. It’s not the America that honors our founding documents, an America of liberty and aspirations.
Helping America stay true to its roots should become the new Jewish mission. We’re so good at crafting statements, let’s craft a “Jews for America” statement that Jewish groups from across the spectrum can sign.
It’s not just what’s bad for the Jews is bad for America.
It’s what’s good for America is good for the Jews.
Let that become our new mantra.
