ANTISEMITISM ANEW
Rosh Hashanah Morning, 5786
Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz
On April 13 this past spring, the first night of Passover, after Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and his family had gone to sleep, the ground floor of his residence was firebombed. A few hours earlier everyone had assembled there for the seder, which included the words of the Haggadah, b’kol dor vador omdim aleninu l’kaloteinu—in every generation they rise up to smite us. The governor and his family were not harmed, though the room suffered extensive damage.
It was the first of three high profile antisemitic acts that took place in our country in a short stretch. Just over a month later, on the evening of Wednesday, May 21, 2025, two young Israeli embassy staffers, engaged to be married, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were fatally shot by a Michigan man shouting “free Palestine”. Ten days later, on June 1, a man shouting the same words, attacked a rally in Boulder, Colorado with a flame-thrower, burning seven people. One of them, Karen Diamond, later died of her wounds.
Then, three weeks later, on June 24th, a freely democratic and peaceful event took place, right across the river. A far-left candidate for New York City mayor won the primary. To say it was a surprise victory is an understatement. But it came with another surprise. In the city with the biggest Jewish population in the world, the winner came with a record of relentless criticism of Israel, refusal to affirm that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, and refusal to disavow the slogan “globalize the intifada”. Zohran Mamdani is now poised to become the next mayor of NYC.
Antisemitism in America is as old as our country—even older than our founding. In fact it arrived with the first group of Jews who came to our shores in 1654. Good old Peter Stuyvesant did not want them to stay. The bedraggled group of 24 Jews appealed to the directors of the Dutch West India company of Amsterdam, who ordered Stuyvesant to accept them in New Amsterdam.
In Torah study this past year we spent the entire year learning about American Jewish history and the struggle of our forebears to overcome antisemitism at every turn. It was eye-opening both in terms of the trials and the triumphs. And it was challenging because every week the headlines were full of incidents that just reinforced that the struggle is not over. Far from it.
In the wake of the shooting and the two fire bombings more than a few in the liberal media claimed that these heinous acts should be understood as political protest rather than antisemitism. This too is profoundly disturbing. In all three cases, Jews were targeted… because they were Jews.
“We shouldn’t try to split hairs here: If someone shouts “Free Palestine!” and targets Jews in America for supporting Israel, the only Jewish state in the world, at a nonpolitical event, it is textbook antisemitism,” writes Jonathan A. Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.
“To frame these attacks as ambiguous, or somehow understandable expressions of rage over Gaza, blurs a dangerous line,” notes Robert Russell. “It rests on the same logic that has historically fueled antisemitism: the erasure of the boundary between Jewish identity and the actions of the Israeli state, and the belief that Jews—anywhere—are legitimate targets of protest. Such framing not only endangers Jewish communities but also undermines legitimate Palestinian advocacy by associating it with violence against civilians. One can—and must—oppose injustice in Gaza without excusing or minimizing attacks on Jews. Violence against Jews, wherever it occurs, must be named clearly. These acts were not just political. They were antisemitic.” (New York Times, 6-28-25)
I repeat a distinction I have made multiple times since the nightmare of Oct. 7th. If you deny Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state you are more than antizionist. If you deny Israel’s right to defend itself you are more than antizionist. If you fail to call out the evil of terrorists bent on destroying Israel you are more than antizionist. You are antisemitic.
Mr. Mamdani, with all due respect, fails on all three accounts. When given the chance to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State he demurred. After Oct. 7 he railed against Israeli colonialism without denouncing Hamas. Before and after, he supported the BDS movement that has no place for Israel as we know it. He has refused to truly disassociate himself from the “globalize the intifada”—knowing that the first, second and third intifadas launched scores of terrorist attacks that have killed 1400 Israelis, not including the 1200 who were murdered on Oct. 7. I don’t vote in New York, and of course, I do not endorse candidates from the pulpit (though the IRS recently changed its ruling on that). But I will always comment on ethical concerns.
That includes Israeli political figures and Israeli government actions as well. You have heard me challenge them and criticize them over the years, and there has always been room for debate in this congregation. But there are limits.
Our long and challenging history has taught us two things about antisemitism. First, it needs to be called out. That is why I’m speaking about this subject again, now, on Rosh Hashanah. And second, we cannot fight this fight alone. We need allies, and always have. People of good faith. The brave souls of our people who speak up make a difference, and the brave souls of our friends who support us make a difference.
So allow me to utilize the balance of my time in a positive vein; sharing three remarkable instances of “Saying No to Hate—Overcoming Antisemitism in America”. That was actually the name of the textbook we used this past year in Torah study. I am sure my Torah study students would agree that we found these stories inspirational.
Those first Jews in America that took on Peter Stuyvesant—they were led by a brave man named Asser Levy. In that first year of 1654 he rallied support from other colonialists. He led the successful appeal to the Dutch West India Company. Then he took on Stuyvesant a second time the next year, when the Jews were told they could not serve in the militia, but would have to pay a special tax instead. And then Levy took on Stuyvesant a third time in 1657, when the governor refused to grant burgher status to Jews, with their attendant trading rights. You might not know his name, but a park, a recreation center, and an elementary school are named after him. Thank you Asser Levy.
The most notorious antisemitic incident of the 19th century took place during the Civil War. It involved General Grant, who would later become president. He issued General Order No. 11 on Dec. 28, 1862 expelling all Jews from parts of the south. It began, “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation established by the Treasury Department… are hereby expelled…within twenty-four hours.” Cesar Kaskel, a Jewish businessman from Paducah, Kentucky swung into action. With fellow Jewish shop owners he sent an emergency telegram to President Abraham Lincoln the very next day. He pointed out that the undersigned were “good and loyal citizens”. He objected that the Jews were being singled out as a class. He concluded, “We respectfully ask your immediate attention to this enormous outrage on all law and humanity and pray for your effectual and immediate interposition.”
Kaskel then made the long trip to Washington, and with the help of his congressman John Addison Gurley, met with Lincoln on the evening of Jan. 3 immediately upon his arrival, still in his dusty travel clothes. He bore messages from Jewish congregations and organizations around the country. President Lincoln rescinded the order on the spot. He said, “To condemn a class is, to say the least, to wrong the good with the bad.” Thank you, Cesar Kaskel… and Abraham Lincoln!
And finally, just over a hundred years ago, a wildly wealthy and well-known American purchased a failing local Michigan newspaper and used it to launch unrelenting attacks on American Jewish patriotism and character. His name was Henry Ford. His newspaper: the Dearborn Independent, which he required every Ford dealer in the country to distribute. Attempts by the Anti-Defamation League and others to stop Ford failed. Then in April of 1924 Ford attacked a Jewish lawyer named Aaron Sapiro for his work organizing California farm workers. He alleged that Sapiro was a Communist agent, and that he and a cabal of Jewish bankers were plotting to take over the entire agricultural sector.
Sapiro fought back. He demanded a retraction, and when that was not forthcoming, he brought a libel suit against Ford in the amount of $1 million dollars (over $18 million today). Fighting motion after motion to dismiss and delay, the trial finally began nearly three years later, and Sapiro held firm under withering cross examination. When Sapiro’s team subpoenaed Ford, the tycoon caved. The public embarrassment was too much for Ford. And besides, he had a new model T coming out. Ford retracted his claims. He reached an out of court settlement with his dogged challenger. He issued a written apology reprinted in newspapers around the country. He shut down his newspaper. Thank you Aaron Sapiro.
I conclude with this: After the firebombing of his home, Governor Josh Shapiro visited the Harrisburg Fire Department to thank them for their efforts. A chaplain handed him a letter signed by every member of his department. On the back of the letter the chaplain hand wrote a prayer for the governor and his family. They were the words of what we call the Birkat Shalom, the blessing of peace, from the book of Numbers; the ancient words of Aaron, brother of Moses, over the Israelites. Governor Shapiro wrote, “I cried when I read this. Because… it happens to be the same prayer that Lori and I have recited to each of our children every night in Hebrew before they go to bed for more than two decades.”
The Governor continued: “Moments like that have given us strength over the past week. The prayers, blessings and messages of support we’ve received have lifted us up and shown us the way forward in the wake of a traumatic event.”
“Those moments have served as yet another reminder of our common humanity. A recognition that there is far more that binds us together than divides us—no matter what those who stoke that division would have us believe.”
“I believe our political divide can be repaired. But our leaders must act with moral clarity and take their cues from the good people of this nation, who in times of tragedy always seem to find our better angels.” (NYT 4-23-25)
Asser Levy, Cesar Kaskel, Aaron Sapiro, and Josh Shapiro had the courage of their convictions to speak truth to power, to call out the antisemitism of their day; to rally others to their cause. These past two years since Oct. 7 have been like a slow-motion nightmare as an age-old curse has raised its hoary head yet again. May we too have the courage of our convictions to raise our voice like a shofar.
And may we all find those better angels.
Religious School Director