Cantor Manny

May 1, 2024 - Summertime is my favorite season of the year. Even in sweltering Florida! But this year, the joy of summer is greatly dimmed by the war in Israel and the anti-Jewish hate it has unleashed here in America and around the globe. Most of the world has lost its moral compass – and the distinction between good and evil is no longer clear.

The difference between the truth and lies is no longer clear either. The daily outpouring of hate has stunned Jews everywhere. Nearly every day we see demonstrators blocking highways, airports, train stations, and college campuses, screaming that Israel is an apartheid country committing genocide and that it has no right to exist. What rubbish! 

We Jews know from history what propaganda can do to weak minds and we know we must fight back. One of the things that really upsets me is when I see news reports of Jewish students cowering in fear of what’s happening on their college campuses. I don’t share their fear. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia – or maybe because I lived in Israel – or maybe because my parents taught me to only revere God – but fear is not part of my make-up.

For me, faith is the antidote to fear. I believe that the Jewish people are an eternal people and we will survive this too. Just a few weeks ago my close friend from Jerusalem sent me an email saying that the one word to describe Israel nowadays is RESILIENT. So instead of living in fear, let’s band together and be outspoken and resilient too! One of my favorite verses from the Bible is found in Psalm 97: “You who love God must hate evil.” Let’s show everyone that we’re strong and proud Jews who stand for justice and will unite to eradicate evil from the planet.