Hanukkah begins tonight, as the Israel-Hamas war continues. Some Jews in Los Angeles are afraid to put up decorations, or they worry that a show of faith could be interpreted as steadfast support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.
Susan Goldberg leads Nefesh, a Jewish spiritual outreach community in LA that includes many college students.
“Part of what is just so stunning … is that college campuses could really be a beacon … of showing how we could have discourse on Israel and Palestine. There is such a lack of a meaningful dialogue about what's happening, that holds complexity and nuance, that holds compassion, that holds listening and respect and understanding, and holds a clear moral framework about awfulness that has happened. And faculty also could be showing up more significantly, but it's hard. It's a scary conversation. It's a difficult conversation. But it is not an impossible conversation.”
She emphasizes that the Jewish community contains wide-ranging lives, perspectives, and opinions. That includes Israeli immigrants and those with friends and family back in the homeland, who feel the need to be heard, and are struggling with the geographic distance. Some LA Jews also have family members who’ve been taken as hostages or killed.
Meanwhile, she says some younger members of her congregation have voiced frustration with the education on Israel they received as kids – one they say omitted the history of Palestinians. “That was a real failure of Jewish education to not share the full story of what was happening in Israel and Palestine. Because I do think that it would allow for a more complete picture now.”
She points out that many people are turning to social media for information, which she finds alarming because it’s not a reliable source. Instead, she encourages folks to get quality journalistic reporting.
Goldberg says that a growing sense of fear hangs over this Hanukkah.
“We saw the beginning of the rise of this next wave of anti-semitism starting around the 2016 elections, around conspiracy theories. … And so it's in that setting, that this now is getting even worse. And so there is a lot of fear. ‘Should I take down my Mezuzah in my house? Is it okay to wear a Star of David necklace?’”
But in the face of that fear, Goldberg encourages folks to embrace their Jewish identity.
“Hanukkah is a time to come forward with our Jewish identity, even when it feels scary and difficult because part of the mitzvah of Hanukkah is that we publicize it, that we put our menorahs in the window, that we say, ‘This is who we are, and we're here in the community.’”
What’s also important, she notes, is for non-Jewish people to express connection, concern, and solidarity — and ask how they can make the world around them a safe and comfortable place. “‘I see you, I know that you're here, and I want you to know that I'm working to make our neighborhood, our workplaces, our school, our community — a place that affirms who you are as a Jewish person and is … safe for you.”