By Daniel Keren
Rabbi Yossy Goldman
Have you ever wondered why non-Jews hate Jews? There is no denying the recent uptick in antisemitism in the past year. Are we at fault? What can we do about it, and is there any chance for it to change? These are the questions that Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Rabbi Emeritus of Sydenhan Shul in Johannesburg, one of the largest synagogues in South Africa discussed in a Jewish Living Institute youtube lecture titled – “Why the Jews? The Truth About Antisemitism.”
Rabbi Goldman dealt with the reality that antisemitism exists regardless of what the Jew does or does not do. For example, in the not-too distant past, Jews in Poland were hated because they were poor, while Jews in Germany were hated because they were rich. Jews were criticized and hated in Russia because they were bourgeoisie and capitalists, while Jews were hated in America because are cursed capitalists. The Gemara teaches us just as halacha (Jewish law) never changes, so also Eisav’s (symbolizing the non-Jews of the world) hatred of Yaakov never changes and doesn’t need any justification for its existence.
The Man Who Tried to Join a Non-Jewish Country Club
Perhaps the worst response a Jew could make is to try and hide his or her Judaism. In a humorous vein, Rabbi Goldman spoke of a survivor of the Holocaust who came to America and changed his name and pretended to be a Christian. At one point he attempted to join an elite country club that had a policy of not admitting Jews as members. He was told that he was being rejected. When he protested and asked why he was being rejected, the country club president told him, “it is because on the application form when you were asked what your religion was, you wrote down “goy.”
Rabbi Goldman who originally came to South Africa to open a Chabad House and later was appointed to serve as a rabbi of a non-Chabad shul recalled an incident when a prominent Jewish writer asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe if the Holocaust could ever happen again. And this was at a time when it seemed that world was still ashamed of the Holocaust and most nations were sympathetic to Jews and even Jews in Israel. The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s response was that if it was up to the nations of the world, it could start tomorrow morning. But fortunately for the Jews, Hashem will not allow it to happen.
Inspired By David Ben Gurion
Surprisingly, Rabbi Goldman said one of his greatest and inspiring heroes was a non-religious personality – the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel – David Ben Gurion. Quoting Ben-Gurion, the important thing is not what the goyim say, but what we as Jews do. Rabbi Goldman recalled an important concept that the late former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom – Rabbi Jonathn Sacks would frequently declare from his contact with many non-Jews that non-Jews respect those Jews who respect themselves.
Rabbi Goldman asked – “What can we do to fight antisemitism?” The only answer is to do something positive by leading active Jewish lives, even if we have to pay a lot of tuition to ensure that our children and grandchildren are educated and thus able to lead dynamic Jewish lives.
If you would like to view this positive and upbeat 45-minute YouTube video on a very scary topic, you can google – “Why the Jews? The Truth About Antisemitism” or YouTube code -- https://youtu.be/kogbCPXZBkU?si=mUHW88gdcbu7xAV-
Reprinted from the February 9, 2024 edition of The Jewish Connection.
