by Rabbi Jeremy Rosen
People are asking why now are we experiencing such a tsunami of hatred? A kind of MaNishtanah moment. There are very different factors that have come together now to create a perfect storm of conflicting world and ethical values. Old certainties have died, and new ones are flourishing. Not always for the best. One can look at this from different perspectives, the historical, the social, the religious, and the long-term instability of societies and governments.
For thousands of years societies have been determined by who exercised power and what religion or gods they adhered to. If you won, you won and if you lost you lost. Power rose or fell violently and unpredictably. Authorities cared little for human life. Religions were supposed to take care of morality. Winners determined the fate of humans, who was accepted and who was not or merely tolerated. Every country was guilty at some stage of Colonialism and benefited from servitude. To draw lines now and say this is and this is not, makes no sense. Which does not mean one cannot try to make things better. Rival religions competed for supremacy and Jews were always caught in the middle. The canaries in the mine. The lightening conductor of other people’s problems and confusion.
In the West the so-called Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries new substitutes emerged, liberty, equality and pursuit of happiness. They challenged religious supremacy. But new gods emerged too, that tried to define identity and diminish anyone who would not completely submit to new value systems. Capitalism versus socialism. Marxism versus Fascism. And now new dogmas and superstitions.
Judaism found itself attacked both by religions and by secular ideologies. And many Jews themselves abandoned their religion and culture and joined the different and conflicting ideologies and fought for recognition and rights, for everyone. Which is why today Jews are divided between left and right, religious and secular. We expected to be hated by the European devils of Stalin and Hitler. But never belied we would be hated by so many Americans. By Harvards and Columbias.
The First and the Second Great Wars were watersheds. They created new global rivalries and exacerbated cultural opposites. The dream that a United Nations could bring peace has been shattered by its politics . The dove of peace is crippled, and the lion will not lie down with the lamb.
As many societies have advanced technologically, and billions were raised out of poverty and servitude, people began to talk about rights instead of obligations. And different groups who felt poorly treated, races and genders began to demand respect and amelioration. Unfortunately, like all such movements they developed into orthodoxies that allowed for no dissent or criticism. The current curse in the west is wokeism. And in the east, it is the curse of totalitarianism.
Another important factor in a changing world is migration. In the past people fled prejudice, wars and oppression. Many wanted a freer life and opportunities. And they integrated into the host societies. Ease of travel and access have now meant that larger numbers fleeing, bring with them values directly in conflict with host societies. The Western world is being and will continue to be challenged by massive immigration because it needs more workers to fill the gaps left by declining birthrates. In itself this is not a problem. But by refusing to deal with the issue of integration, by burying heads in sands, and now by fearing to act to remove those inciting hatred, it is only storing up more chaos for the future. In many places the character of nations has already begun to change.
Multiculturalism once seen as an ideal, is now becoming a problem. It has led to a choice, between cultural capitulation and an alliance of false brothers, religious fundamentalists allied with left wing progressives to gain power despite opposing values. One day they may overturn states from within. In an insecure world where idealists look for a cause, both sides look for scapegoats. And Jews again are the fall guys for the left and the right.
Some will argue that Israel is the cause of world dysfunctionality. Strange that such a small people are thought to have such influence. Others argue that Israel was a mistake and all other states that emerged from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire are legitimate. And Israel has no right to defend itself. All these are both non-sensical and evidence of prejudice. And simply reiterate what the Bible foretold, that we are people who are alone, not appreciated by other nations (Numbers 23:9) If the world is bent on tearing itself apart, we can only look on in despair for them. And do our best to ensure that we are well protected.
Storms pass and fashions change. Sometimes we have to bend sometimes have to up against. It is one of those moments now. All is not lost. There are signs of a reaction. The winds that bring storms can also revive and refresh.
Florence in the fifteenth century was the pinnacle of wealth, culture and influence. Its banking families controlled the western world. The Franciscan monk Savonarola (1452-1498) attacked the power and the wealth of the wealthy rulers. But he went too far in destroying great art, music and what he saw as luxury. Instead, he enforced dull pious conformity. For a while he was successful. People soon tired and in the end, he was burnt as a heretic. After the French Revolution came the Reign of Terror. Let us hope it won’t happen now.
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Jeremy Rosen was born in Manchester, England, the eldest son of Rabbi Kopul Rosen and Bella Rosen. Rosen's thinking was strongly influenced by his father, who rejected fundamentalist and obscurantist approaches in favour of being open to the best the secular world has to offer while remaining committed to religious life. He was first educated at Carmel College, the school his father had founded based on this philosophical orientation. At his father's direction, Rosen also studied at Be'er Yaakov Yeshiva in Israel (1957–1958 and 1960). He then went on to Merkaz Harav Kook (1961), and Mir Yeshiva (1965–1968) in Jerusalem, where he received semicha from Rabbi Chaim Leib Shmuelevitz in addition to Rabbi Dovid Povarsky of Ponevezh and Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro of Yeshivat Be'er Ya'akov. In between Rosen attended Cambridge University (1962–1965), graduating with a degree in Moral Sciences.