LECH LECHA 5782

 A Jew is a Jew is a Jew

When the Torah introduces us to Abraham, the 1^st Jew, and Gd appears to him, it’s without any bio, no CV, no resume, no list of accolades of what made him worthy of this honor. The Torah is teaching us that to be a Jew means that you are a child of Gd; and a child is a child, is a child, under all circumstances, no matter what he/she does.

I may have a child who gives me nachas (great joy), and I may have a child who causes me sleepless nights; I may have a child who loves me, and a child who has issues with me; I may have a child who calls me every day, and a child who calls once a year, if I’m lucky. But they are all my children! None of them is more of a child than the other. Yes, one of them may behave more like a child; one of them may behave less like a child, but they are both equally children. This is the story of our people. We are Gd’s children, and a child is a child is a child, and therefore, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew!

Let me illustrate with an email a colleague, Rabbi Aaron Moss from Sydney Australia, received:

         Although I was raised in a traditional home, was brissed and barmitzvad, I have never had any faith or “religious” belief. I am now aged 34, and would describe myself as an atheist. I have no wish to be buried in a Jewish cemetery (and my Will, will also make this clear) and have married a non-Jew in a civil ceremony.

         My question is, can I consider myself officially non-Jewish, by my effective opting-out, or do I need some sort of form or dispensation to be officially no longer Jewish?

         Many thanks for your help with what is perhaps an unusual question.      Edward

How would you answer? This was his reply:

         Dear Edward, I would like to help you, but I feel there’s nothing I can do. According to your question, you have done everything possible to negate your Jewishness: in practice you do not keep Jewish tradition; in belief you are an atheist; in family life you have married a non-Jew and thus won’t have Jewish children; and even in death you are determined not to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. One would think that all this would be enough to confirm your un-Jewishness.

         But no! For some reason, you are still unsatisfied: you still feel Jewish! So much so, you feel you need official dispensation! And so, being an atheist, who do you turn to, to solve this problem? A doctor? A psychiatrist? The civil celebrant that married you? No... You turn to a rabbi         I’m reminded of the child who ran away from home, but ended up just going around and around the block because his parents told him never to cross the road by himself. I’m sorry, Edward. There is nothing more you can do. You are as Jewish as Moses and the Chief Rabbi of Wales!

         In fact, it seems that being Jewish is the most dominant factor of your personality. It is even influencing the place you want to be buried! (Why would an atheist care about where they are buried?)

         Edward, Jewishness is not a belief, a feeling, a conviction or a lifestyle. It is a state of being. We can either celebrate it or fight against it. But it will always be there. So why not celebrate it?

         One more story. Another colleague was visited by a millennial who came to his office and told him he had no where to go for Yom Kippur. So, he invited him to come to his shul. The young Jew agreed. In the office with him was his brother, so the Rabbi asked the brother to come as well. The brother thanked him and said: “Oh No! I already have a flight booked that night. I’ll be on a plane and can’t come to shul. But don’t worry, Rabbi. I knew it was Yom Kippur, so I ordered this time a KOSHER meal for the flight!”

Yes, not exactly the right way to observe Yom Kippur by eating a kosher meal on an airplane… But, I ask you, is he not also a Jew?

Unfortunately, these stories are very telling. In our millennial generation, the largest movement within Judaism is not the Conservative movement, or Reform or even the Orthodox. In fact, it’s the same movement among all religions. The largest religious movement today is, the “nones”—the people who, when asked to identify their religious affiliation write: “none.” 

In fact, the problem is found in most every country in the world. One survey found people identifying as less religious in 43 out of 49 countries. In France—I couldn’t believe this—in 1960, 98% of the people said they had been baptized. Today only 36% even claim membership in a church. Here in America 25% of millennials identify themselves as “nones.” The situation in the Jewish community is even worse as 1/3 of American Jews identify as “nones.” It is best be summed up by the title of a recent article in USA Today: “A Race to the Extremes: Younger Jews are Increasingly Nones or ultra-Orthodox.”

I imagine that many ask themselves: Why be religious when so many people who claim to be truly religious and committed to Gd are sinning against their fellow man? It’s happening in almost everywhere:

• Islam claims, by its name, to be the religion of peace. The word “Islam” comes from “salam” or in Heberw “shalom,” meaning “peace.” And yet, Islamists—in the name of Gd—are killing innocent civilians in Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. It can be Al Qaeda or ISIS or Al-Shabaab or Boko Harem. It can be a Sunni or Shiite. It can be on the streets of Europe or Pittsburg, Pennsylvania…people are being slaughtered in the name of Gd, with the murderers screaming, “Allahu Akhbar (Gd is great)!” Do you blame people for not wanting to believe in such a Gd?
• The Roman Catholic Church…do you blame the people in France for leaving the church when just a few weeks ago a report came out claiming that during our lifetime over ¼ million French children were abused by priests and nuns.
• And then, there are the Hareidim religious Jews—so-called frum Jews—who take their religion very seriously. But how do they explain that, in most every frum community throughout the world—in places like Boro Park, Monsey, Golders Green, Antwerp, Bnai Brak—you name it, they had the highest rate of the Coronavirus because they refused to get the vaccine, wear maskes and social distance. amNY headlined: “LAX ON VAX: Borough Park, with the lowest vaccination rate in NY City, saw the most COVID-19 infections in the 5 boroughs this past week.”

While I think the hypocrisy people find among religious people is an important factor for the “nones,” there are in every religion wonderful role models to follow—people who are inspiring, compassionate and giving. There needs to be other factors as well.

And so, even more compelling, I think, is how we live in our digital age. The synagogue and church are finding it harder and harder to compete for community with FaceBook, Instagram and tik tok. You have an interest, on social media you can find an instant community of people with the same interest. Also, the nostalgic attachment to Jewish life has lost so much with the passing of the large 1^st and 2^nd generation of Jewish immigrants of the 20^th century. There’s no more need to impress or placate Bubi and Zeidi. There are so few Bubis and Zeidis left. Add to that a media that is increasingly hostile to religion, and we have the rise of the “nones.”

What can we do? We must be pro-active and find ways to reach out to our fellow Jews and show them by our example the beauty of Jewish life. My friends, there is no greater mitzvah to fulfill than to turn on a fellow Jew to Hashem and His Torah. May Hashem help each of us to be His representative to everyone we meet, to help our fellow Jew understand that even if you are among the 1/3 of Jews that identify as a “none,” no matter how far from Gd and Torah you might have strayed, a Jew is a Jew is a Jew, and you can find your way back! Amen!