Kindling the light in this cultural moment

Lately, keeping up with the antisemitic headlines in our zeitgeist feels like a sad game of Whac-A-Mole®. It’s coming fast and furious–and from so many segments of our culture, from music to politics to sports.

In the last six weeks alone:

A gubernatorial candidate–with ties to prominent antisemites–slams his Jewish opponent for sending his children to a “privileged, exclusive, elite school,” which many heard as a dog whistle for “Jewish.”

A Chicago high school student comes to school dressed in a German soldier uniform for Halloween and gives a Nazi salute.

Basketball star Kyrie Irving promotes an antisemitic film, and sales of the film skyrocket.

While hosting Saturday Night Live , comedian Dave Chappelle fans the flames of the current surge in antisemitism, by blurring the line between parody and affirmation with tropes like “it’s “not a crazy thing to think” that Jews run Hollywood.

Ye (formerly Kanye West) opens his mouth–about anything.

But can anything really shock us anymore? The Jewish people have been targets of every canard, conspiracy theory, and Shylock-like characterization an antisemite can concoct at every era of Jewish existence.

And today, 5,783 years into our history, we’re still the most targeted faith group in the country. The Anti-Defamation League reported that there were nearly 3,000 antisemitic incidents reported in the United States in 2021–the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking them more than 40 years ago.

These episodes aren’t only growing in frequency; they’re being waged by a more diverse pool of offenders. In her 2019 book How to Fight Anti-Semitism , journalist Bari Weiss explores the “double bind” she sees Jews caught in, characterized as both the victims of white supremacy on the far right, and the aggressor s on the far left.

They’re both antisemitic, but it’s so much easier, Weiss posits, to label it antisemitism when the hate is hurled at us by a swastika-tattooed skinhead. Where it gets trickier is calling out more insidious offenders on the far left–often targets of bigotry themselves–who couch their anti-Jewish attacks in a cloak of anti-human rights and oppression rhetoric.

Okay, so it’s dark right now–and not just metaphorically; we’re literally entering the darkest days on the calendar. And when it’s dark, we’ve got to work harder to find sources of light. As musician Sting put it, “At night, a candle’s brighter than the sun.”

In this Chanukah season, we reflect on the Jewish people miraculously beating back the darkness–and kindling the light. Here are eight bright spots to keep in mind as we meet this cultural moment:

1. Josh Shapiro, an observant Jew who publicly embraced his faith during his run for Pennsylvania governor, defeats his controversial opponent.
2. NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar denounces Ye, Irving, and others for their antisemitic behavior, and for setting a hateful example to the millions who emulate them.
3. Rocker John Mellencamp delivers a forceful speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about the urgency of non-Jews standing up for Jewish people in these precarious times.
4. Comedian Amy Schumer sprinkles a hearty helping of “Jewish” throughout her recent SNL hosting gig and closes the show wearing a “heart Jews” t-shirt.
5. After facing backlash over not cutting ties with Ye sooner, Adidas partners with the ADL to fight antisemitism among professional and student athletes.
6. A flood of Jewish and non-Jewish celebrities–including Reese Witherspoon, Lizzo, and John Legend–speak out in solidarity with the Jewish people. Some reposted cookbook author Jessica Seinfeld’s post: “If you don’t know what to say, you can just say this in your feed… ‘I support my Jewish friends and the Jewish people.'”
7. When it comes to being Jewish, there’s so much more “joy” than “oy.” As Israeli writer Hen Mazzig quipped: “I promise I love being Jewish ten times more than anyone hates me for it.”
8. In your home and mine, we’re passing down the joy of being Jewish to our little ones when we play dreidel, fry latkes, and light the menorah together. Through it all, the Jewish people endure–and our eternal light burns bright.