Passover has always been a favorite Jewish holiday of mine. A seder is the time to remember the lash of oppression and the joys of deliverance. It is a time when the youngest are encouraged to question their elders, a time to celebrate the fall of pharaohs and false gods, and a time to be replenished by talking with family and friends about how Jewish values apply today.
With the approach of this year’s Pesach, I feel neither fortified nor replenished. I am, instead, trembling with contempt for those in my Jewish community ignoring the core lessons of the seder: the pain of subjugation, the joys of freedom, and the questioning of why we do what we do, at the table and in life.
Jewish supporters of Trump’s risible “fight against antisemitism” are bereft of morality, propping up a set of principles at odds with what has sustained us. Israel, not Judaism, is their religion and false god. They rally around the state as if it’s a golden calf. They act as if those who question do not deserve to be heard, only punished. And Donald Trump is their pharaoh. …more
