Purim is just around the corner! Though marked by masquerading and merriment, there are some very serious themes that lie behind the ribaldry that marks our joyous holiday.
Life in the Diaspora
Over the past year I’ve received requests from several individuals to document their Jewishness so that they might gain citizenship in Israel. While I’m happy to encourage aliyah to Israel and remain very proud of our community members who commit themselves to strengthening the Jewish nation, what surprised me this time was that a few of the requests came from people who felt that it was safer for Jews to live in Israel than the United States. This despite the fact that Israel had been actively at war.
When I visited my friends in Israel over this past year, each of their homes had a reinforced, munitions-resistant saferoom with a special air filter to block airborne poisons. Now, my home has a gate, which we close in the evenings and when we are not home, but that’s a far cry from the security measures that exist to protect Jews in Israel. I also know many Jews who will not travel to Israel out of concern for their safety, yet my wife, I, and many people I know have traveled there frequently over this past year without much concern. I share this comparison not to minimize the threats faced in this country but to point out the range of perceptions we Jews have for where we can live safely.
The story of Purim brings the issue of Jewish security into sharp focus. Written by Jews in a foreign land, it explores what is required for Jews to live at peace as a minority in an adopted nation. The Purim story, unlike other books in the Bible, never imagines a Jewish return to the Holy Land. Instead, it focuses on how Jews can live safely on foreign soil. Securing power, vanquishing enemies, projecting power, and capitalizing on access to the seat of power were seen as recipes for Jewish security in Persia.
Over the nearly 2,400 years of Jewish existence, this issue remains pressing. Whether in our own national homeland or dispersed throughout the world, one of the central requirements is that we must always be vigilant and prepared to act as circumstances demand. Our support for Israel and its security remains paramount just as our efforts to maintain Jewish safety in this land will always be at the forefront.
To this end, I invite you to join me at the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California’s capital summit where we’ll join with Jews from across our state in a non-partisan, collective effort to lobby for the Jewish community’s priorities – including fighting manifestations of antisemitism. You can register here.
—Rabbi Ron Stern