Rabbi Cooper's Letters

January 16, 2022 /15 Shvat 5781
 

Dear Friends,

The time lapse between Israel and the US created the unusual situation of receiving both good news and bad simultaneously. By the time I had read about the hostage-taking at the Texas synagogue, I received word that the hostages had been saved and that the perpetrator had been killed.

In addition to receiving simultaneously the good news and bad, I also received responses from around the country and the world, expressing solidarity and support for the members of the Colleyville synagogue, condemnation of the terrorist act and kudos for the rabbi and his grace under pressure throughout the 10-hour ordeal. I agree and join in solidarity all of the letters, the expressions of condemnation and the denunciations of the entire event.

As I read through the articles and letters, my thoughts brought me back to other situations we have witnessed: to Pittsburgh, Charlottesville and other places made famous, in part, by serving as the location of antisemitic attacks. And, I cannot help but connect this to other, less current but equally as relevant, events from our history. The paradigm upon which this attack was built, was not so much Pittsburgh in October, 2018, but Germany in 1933.

In 1933, pre-Holocaust Germany was already becoming expert in articulating its particular brand of antisemitism. The philosophy embraced at that time was “All Jews must be deported”. Later that motto became much clearer: “All Jews must die”. These, as it happens, were the words of Robert Bowers, the gunman who entered the synagogue in Pittsburgh. His idea was that the eradication of Jews might solve the ills of society. “If only we could get rid of those pesky Jews, our problems would be solved”. Like the scapegoat on Yom Kippur, sent away bearing the sins of the nation, so too could there be a cauterization of our society. The Jews carry the sins of our world. Therefore, without Jews, evil evaporates.

The gunman in Texas had his own point. He demanded the release of a Pakistani woman, known as the Lady Al-Qaeda, who had been convicted of terrorist activities. But the perpetrator tips his hand, giving us insight into his thinking. What relationship is there between an imprisoned terrorist and Jews in a synagogue? The answer: nothing and everything.

The Jews in the local synagogue have no connection to the imprisoned woman. But, for those who see the world’s problems connected primarily to Jews, the equation works: The Jews are to blame for all of the world’s evil, including the arrest of my friend.” And, even if killing Jews doesn’t help the problem we are seeking to solve, the world is still a better place without those Jews.

My response to the hostage situation, begins by adding my voice to those who condemn the violence, as well as those expressing gratitude for the hostages’ safe release. But the undercurrent of antisemitism here should not be overlooked. The terrorist has reminded us, again, that in this world, the oldest hatred in history is alive and well.

We are living in a world which has resurrected the ancient canards of Jew-hatred. It is surely more comfortable for us to see this event in Colleyville, TX as an aberration, a crime perpetrated by a sick person against innocent people. But, as I see it, this crime is but another reminder to the Jewish community that we are living in a world which remains hostile to us.

The challenge we face is not simply one of antisemitism. The challenge we face is to protect ourselves from the hate without becoming haters ourselves.

How can we live safely, pray safely, thrive safely in a world in which such hatred abound?
In a world of hate, how can we continue to develop as caring, compassionate and loving people?

These are the questions which this terrible crime has presented. And these are the question we must answer as we move forward.

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Neil S. Cooper