Archived Opinion

Rabbi Mark Levin’s letter regarding Trump’s executive order on anti-Semitism was exactly on target and a necessary read for Jews everywhere. Unlike Rabbi Rosenberg, who thinks that punishment works and education doesn’t, Rabbi Levin understands the historical context and the potential damage the order can reap on Jews in this country.

Anyone who thinks that our president is a friend of the Jews, in fact a friend of anyone but himself and his power, is sadly mistaken. This is a dangerous time for Jews in this country and elsewhere. We don’t need executive orders and the false hopes of an administration only interested in self-preservation. We need more education, more enforcement of the laws on the books and more “stand-up” Jews to call out the racists and anti-Semites who feel enabled and liberated in the current political environment.

 Jeffrey Roitman

Overland Park, Kansas

As Jews around the world lit the Hanukkah candles (Saturday, Dec. 28), we learned of yet another horrific anti-Semitic attack. A man armed with a machete entered a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during a Hanukkah celebration, and stabbed five people. The victims were taken to the hospital for injuries, with at least one in critical condition. 

We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and the later arrest of the alleged suspect in New York City.

We are witnessing a full-fledged epidemic of anti-Semitic attacks in the New York region, with at least one every day this past week — only weeks after the shooting at a kosher market in New Jersey. Friends and allies, please understand that what is happening is extremely traumatic for our community.

As AJC notes, anti-Semitism must never be seen as a uniquely Jewish phenomenon. It is not. It is a virus that, as we have been saying since time immemorial, may begin with targeting Jews, but, ultimately, also seeks to destroy the pluralistic fabric of our democratic societies.

This surge in attacks must also be seen in the larger context of rising anti-Semitism around the world, including elsewhere in our country and in significant parts of Europe. We are also aware that the incidents in Monsey, in Jersey City, and many of the events of this past week were not perpetrated by white supremacists. It is incredibly important that our allies unequivocally call out all anti-Semitism and recognize that it comes from several sources. Local state, and federal officials must take equally seriously each incident, whatever its source may be. Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism.

Finally, we as a community must be very intentional not to allow these events to stoke racism. We cannot feed into the “us vs them” narrative that pits our communities against each other — it is a zero sum game.

We too are feeling scared, heartbroken and angry. But the solution is to figure out how to build bridges, not walls. That is JCRB|AJC’s commitment, and that is our work.

As Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

During Hanukkah, we commit to fighting darkness by creating light. Let’s remember to be the light always. We’re praying for the victims and praying for us all — that we can love each other, listen to each other, and support each other through this wave of darkness.

 JCRB|AJC Kansas City

As Jews around the world lit the Hanukkah candles (Saturday, Dec. 28), we learned of yet another horrific anti-Semitic attack. A man armed with a machete entered a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during a Hanukkah celebration and stabbed five people. The victims were taken to the hospital for injuries, with at least one in critical condition. 

This assault is the latest in a disturbing string of violent attacks against members of New York’s Jewish community during Hanukkah, only weeks since the shooting at a Kosher deli in New Jersey. And, it stands as the fourth violent attack on a Jewish gathering in the last 14 months, targeting Jews as they were simply practicing their religion.

As we consider these sobering facts, let’s also remember that anti-Semitism is not a “Jewish problem.” It is a societal problem, just as an attack on Jews praying is not just an attack on Jews alone, but an assault on our American right to religious freedom. This is why we are so grateful for leaders across the political spectrum and throughout our civil society who have spoken out strongly against antisemitism and all forms of hatred.

We have much work to do in this arena. However, it is important at this moment for the Jewish community to be aware of the critical work that is already underway to increase the security of our community.

The Federation’s safety and security efforts — at a national level — are led by the Secure Community Network (SCN), which has dramatically increased capacity to support all local Federation Security Directors, as well as serve the vast majority of Federations and communities that do not have such a resource but are increasingly committed and working to address security.

Locally, the Jewish Federation leads the initiative for Jewish community safety and security for Kansas City. Our strategy is one of security awareness, information sharing, training, close communication with local law enforcement, and partnerships with national organizations charged with keeping our Jewish community and other institutions safe.

Let us remember the ancient teaching that Hanukkah offers: Even the smallest light can triumph over darkness if we have the courage to kindle it. Collectively, we will use our Hanukkah light to stomp out this darkness our brothers and sisters are facing.

 Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City

Never before in human history has so much Jewish content been available so easily to so many Jews. It can be both overwhelming and invigorating. In this column I am going to try to curate some great Jewish learning that is available on the internet beyond Chabad.org, Aish.com, and MyJewishLearning.com (though all three are great). 

Sefaria: The Greatest Jewish 

Library for Free on Your Computer

In my opinion, Sefaria (sefaria.org) is greatest revolution in Jewish publications since Daniel Bomberg mass-published the Talmud on a printing press in the 1520s. Sefaria has access and connections to every significant classical Jewish text. All of it is accessible in Hebrew and the number of texts available in translation grow each week. Every time that a verse from the Hebrew Bible is found in other sources, a list of those sources pop up. When you are studying the Talmud, there is a list of every commentary and later legal work that quotes that section. 

An Introduction to Podcasts

For those who haven’t entered into the world of podcasts, these are essentially homemade radio shows that can be listened to on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You use an application like Apple Podcasts (which come preinstalled on all iPhones and iPads). Other options are Overcast for iPhone (download from overcast.fm) or Pocketcasts for either iPhone or Android (download from pocketcasts.com). Podcasts can also be streamed on Spotify.

You can search for the following suggested podcasts using Google.

Podcasts: Jewish politics and culture

Self-described as “The world’s leading Jewish podcast,” Unorthodox produced by the online magazine Tablet (tabletmag.com) is a blend of culture, religion and politics. The politics tend to skew left of center, and the tone is irreverent and smart. They also tour around America so sometimes the episodes are broadcast from different locations.

The Tikvah Fund (tikvahfund.org) is a Jewish, Zionist neo-con thinktank that has a very good interview-based podcast called The Tikvah Podcast. When discussing politics it is almost exclusively moderately right-of-center. Beyond politics, though, they have some of the best interviews with historians, Jewish thinkers and nonfiction authors.  

A podcast I just discovered recently is Judaism Unbound (judaismunbound.com). This is a bit of Jewish “insider baseball,” interviewing many Jewish professionals that work in the Jewish world. However, it is a great insight into innovations in Jewish communal life around the country. It is a collaboration of The Institute for the Next Jewish Future and The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, California. 

Podcasts: Jewish textual learning

For a comfortable conversation about the weekly Torah portion, give a listen to Parsha in Progress (tablet.com). Each week this hosts a conversation between author Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer. Pogrebin is Reform Jew and noted author. Linzer is the head of the liberal Orthodox, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Each episode is under 15 minutes and is like you are listening in on a coffee-shop conversation about the weekly Torah portion between two very smart friends.

If you to dive into rabbinic commentaries on the Torah portion check out The Parsha Nut (parshanut.com). This is a pun, because “parshanut” is the medieval practice of deep commentary on the Torah. This podcast is not making new episodes, but it is one of the best introductions to rabbinic commentaries on the Torah. It is created by Rabbi David Kasher, a rabbi ordained by Chovevei Torah and now teaching at Ikar in Los Angeles. The website has textually rich written source sheets to follow along with and read deeper. 

The Hadar Institute (hadar.org) is an egalitarian, post-denominational yeshiva in New York that I have a close relationship with. Rabbi Ethan Tucker is interviewed on the Responsa Radio Podcast by Rabbi Avi Killip exploring cutting edge topics in Jewish law like: “Can I bow down in a karate class?” and “Can I keep an Amazon Echo active on Shabbat?” This has a conversational style but takes a thoughtful deep dive into the meaning undergirding Jewish law. It seeks relevant connection between our ancient wisdom and contemporary life.

In the “V’ahavta,” the first paragraph of the Shema, we say that the Torah is to be u’vlecht’cha baderech — with us as we “walk on the way.” With these podcasts, Jewish wisdom can accompany you when you walk on the way, jog on the track, drive in your commute, or sit in an airport. If you check one of these out — please drop me a line at so we can talk about it!

Rabbi David Glickman is senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom. His next installment of online learning with introduce online classes available for free or a minimal charge.

Israelis settlements and US policy

I have found it intresting that almost all of the 2020 Democratic candidates take the position that Jewish settlements in Israel’s West Bank are “illegal” and slam U.S. reconsideration of policy (as The Chronicle headline read). These candidates include Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak.

So if one of them happens to be the Democratic candidate to oppose Trump, and in the event he or she wins, you can look for some major changes in America’s policies regarding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. As Sen. Sanders wrote: “Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal. This is clear from international law and multiple United Nations resolutions. Once again, Mr. Trump is isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extreme base.”

 Marvin Fremerman

Springfield, Missouri

Holocaust museums need to stop worrying about genocides around the world and start emphasizing the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Same is true for Holocaust commissions.

I just saw the press conference on TV regarding the shooting at the kosher grocery in Jersey City. This can happen in Kansas City also. I disagree with some of the opinions that most who put swastikas on Jewish sites don’t know what the symbol means.

Anyone who watches TV or has access to the internet, including teenagers, knows that the swastika is a symbol of anti-Semitism. I was co-editor and one of the founders of the New Jersey State Holocaust Commission. We don’t need more commissions on how to teach tolerance.

What is needed are harsher punishments. I predicted this upsurge decades ago. The perpetrators must know that law enforcement will use their power against them. Congratulations to President Trump for fighting anti-Semitism with new legislation.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Edison, New Jersey

President Trump is proposing an executive order to limit anti-Semitic speech on college campuses. The New York Times comments: “The order will effectively interpret Judaism as a race or nationality, not just a religion, to prompt a federal law penalizing colleges and universities deemed to be shirking their responsibility to foster an open climate for minority students.” Judaism is neither a race (race is a false concept) nor a nationality.

Israeli is a nationality. In order to enforce this, the U.S. government will have to define Judaism as a race or nationality. “Title VI does not protect students from religious discrimination,” according to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ ocr/docs/know-rights-201701-religious-disc.pdf).

This new policy is desired by some to combat the already failed BDS Movement. Certainly we are not a race. One cannot convert into or out of a race. The false concept of race is a permanent marker of a person: black, Asian, Caucasian, etc.

Jews have no such permanent markers, and members of any race can become Jews. Defining Jews as a nationality leaves the Jewish community of the U.S. open to the anti-Semitic canard of “dual loyalty,” a loyalty to more than one nation — viz: the U.S. and the Jewish nation. This false accusation will likely only be furthered by our national government officially defining Jews as a separate nation. Trump’s proposal, at the very least, is an extraordinarily bad idea, and at the worst is a veiled attempt to “other” America’s Jews. This idea will ultimately not protect Jews, and we do not need such protection.

The problem on college campuses must be fought with ideas, by faculty teaching, by the university administration making clear that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated among the student body or faculty. The president’s order may be used to stifle speech. But more dangerously, it opens the Jewish community to a government definition of Jews within the U.S. as a separate category than American, and thus may further the “othering” of the American Jewish community.

Rabbi Mark H. Levin, DHL

Founding rabbi, Congregation Beth Torah 

The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education strongly condemns the anti-Semitic attack in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Dec. 10. With anti-Semitism on the rise in America and around the world, it is incumbent upon all individuals and communities to confront and counter anti-Semitism and the persecution of minority groups wherever they see it. The Holocaust remains a not-so-distant reminder of the dangers of unchecked bigotry. We call on our community to positively engage with this topic to affect change in their own sphere of influence.

JCRB|AJC appreciates and supports the president’s executive order, most of which simply reaffirms earlier efforts by both the Bush and Obama administrations that held that the Department of Education can recognize Jews as an ethnic group, in addition to a religion, in order to receive protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, in which religion is not a protected class. Neither of those past efforts were met with the same controversy that President Trump’s order caused. Anti-Semitism is on a fast-paced rise in both violent attacks and in words and actions.

We see anti-Semitism coming from both the political left and the right, as well as in alarming, dangerous ways in religious extremist movements. It is our responsibility to ensure that Jewish students on campuses across the country do not lose their right to a study in a non-hostile environment because of anti-Semitism that masquerades itself as anti-Zionism. Jewish students should not be harassed, condemned, or accused of “conflicts of interest” for visiting or supporting the state of Israel.

The order directs the Department of Education to consider the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when determining if incidents of harassment or discrimination — potentially in violation of U.S. antidiscrimination law — were motivated by antisemitism. This is actually tamer than the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2019, S. 852, a bill with bipartisan support, that would direct the Department of Education to utilize, not just consider, the Working Definition of Antisemitism.

The Working Definition, which JCRB|AJC supports, was adopted by the State Department in 2016. It is significant in that in addition to more classic examples, it also specifies instances where Israel-related rhetoric crosses the line into anti-Semitism: denying the Jewish right to self-determination, claiming that the state of Israel is a racist endeavor, or comparing Israel to the Nazis.

The executive order only clarifies what the Department of Education has held since 2004 — that some anti-Israel activity could, in theory, be actionable under Title VI. We can simultaneously support this executive order and remain deeply disturbed by President Trump’s words at the Israeli American Council, where he used blatantly anti-Semitic stereotypes.

To be a friend of American Jews, we expect a loud rejection of these types of anti-Semitic tropes — not the promotion of them. Our allies must be committed to denouncing and fighting anti-Semitism from all sources: from anti-Zionism, white nationalism, religious extremism, and from any other utilization of centuries-old stereotypes that have long been used to justify violence against our community.

JCRB|AJC is happy to provide additional materials for further reading on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, or the bipartisan Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2019 (S. 852).

Chanukah is a special time to come together with family and loved ones to celebrate culture and tradition. The miracle itself. The candles. The presents! Of course children love that last part and no doubt have made it abundantly clear what new material things they’d like to receive.

But what they might not always be able to tell you is how much they’d also love the gift of your time. Modern life doesn’t always make that easy. That’s a reality to which many of us have resigned ourselves. Work, family, friends, school, social obligations, even social media all pull on us and squeeze our ability to prioritize our time. The key to that is finding a balance in what works for you personally and your family. We often think of balance in terms of moderation, like watching what we eat and drink or how we budget and exercise.

Balance means we keep ourselves in check. When everything is in balance, much like in the world, there is typically harmony and stability. But how do we find that balance in a way that can make both you and your family happy? When we became parents, we made a commitment to love, teach and care for our children. That automatically means less time for ourselves and a certain degree of sacrifice in order to tend to their needs. Sometimes all it takes is slowing down even a little in our fast-moving world to assess our relationship with our children. We can’t be so stuck in our daily regimen and routines that we can’t shake things up even a little to better accommodate the emotional needs of our children.

As a child and family therapist for many years, I have witnessed many children who weren’t given adequate time by their parents. Their self-worth suffers, as does their ability to love, accept and understand themselves and others. The key here is that it doesn’t take much to give kids what they need. Children thrive both mentally and emotionally when they are provided with love, affection and attention.

This begins with nurturing their sense of self and a healthy parent-child bond. Nurturing can be as simple as listening in that moment when they ask to tell you about their favorite Pokemon character (for what seems like 20 minutes!), or how a kid treated them poorly at school, or how they’re excited about a new movie coming out. In those extra minutes the gift of providing your time and attention can make a child’s perception of themselves — and of your relationship with him or her — increase tremendously. To do this means shutting out some of the many distractions that continue to compromise our time. Admittedly, that gets more difficult with each passing year. An easy way to start is for you to simply put your phone away when you come home for the evening. It’s important to remember, too, that quality counts just as much as quantity when it comes to time spent together. Healthy families find balance here, too.

Kids know you have demands outside the home, but when you are home, try not to let those reel you back in. You are your child’s most important audience and sometimes all it takes to make them smile inside is to be attentive. There are many things we might take for granted that have more meaning for our children than we might imagine. Consider cooking a meal or sharing a movie, throwing a ball, playing a game or simply going for a walk. So when we sit down with our children this year to light the menorah or feast on latkes, be sure to reflect on the importance of true togetherness. Gifts can’t be considered a trade-off or compensation for time spent together. Your presence is often the best present of all.

Wendy Anderson, LMSW, is the child and family therapist at Jewish Family Services.