Prepared remarks: The Courage to Bear Witness: Standing Together to Create Bonds of Humanity (Sept. 25, 2024)
Babi Yar Commemoration Remarks on September 25, 2024
As we reflect on the Holocaust in general, and the massacre at Babi Yar in particular, we must ask a haunting question—why is the concept of Never Again more relevant today than ever? Unfortunately, the horrifying attacks on October 7, 2023 provide a powerful and painful answer to that question. On that day, more Jews were massacred—and raped—than on any date since the Holocaust.[1]
October 7th means that the dehumanization and atrocities that accompanied the Holocaust are not only in the past, but they are still with us. As painful as it is, we must confront our present honestly and have the courage to bear witness. As we do so, we must hope for, and work towards, a better and more just future.
I. October 7th and the Rise of Contemporary Antisemitism
When I spoke here last year, I lamented a disturbing rise in antisemitism. The statistics I shared were harrowing—including the fact that, in 2022, the Anti-Defamation League (“ADL”) recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents across the United States since it began tracking these numbers in 1979.[2] And that was before October 7th. In the aftermath of October 7th, before Israel’s response and push for hostages to be released to their families, many stood in solidarity against the atrocities. But I was stunned when some offered praise for a massacre that was carefully planned and brutally executed, overwhelmingly against civilians.[3]
The idea of October 7th is difficult to behold. One challenge for those who love and pray for peace is the extraordinary pain wrought by witnessing the brutality of those who seek death and destruction. The assailants who entered a kibbutz or a music festival on October 7th came with a simple mission—to kill and rape as many Jews as possible.[4] Reports after the massacre, from Go Pro cameras brought to film the atrocities and other sources, include one of a terrorist calling his mom—“I killed more than 10 Jews with my own hands!” he exclaimed with pride. She responded with encouragement.[5]
The atrocious rapes that occurred on October 7th is another dimension of the massacre that defies our understanding. To that end, the United Nation’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict investigated the sexual violence associated with October 7th and concluded that there is “clear and convincing information” that hostages kept in Gaza have been raped and sexually tortured.[6] And Sheryl Sandberg, to capture this crime against humanity, made a powerful documentary film titled Screams Before Silence.
The hostages taken on October 7th cut to Israel’s core. For many of us, Hersh Goldberg-Polin symbolized the plight of the hostages. After his arm was severed, Hersh was taken hostage and held for almost eleven months, in unimaginably difficult conditions and with his family—including his parents Jon and Rachel—left to plead the call “bring them home now!” I met Jon and Rachel, who were very effective advocates for the hostages, and they shared their story at the Democratic National Convention. At our Passover Seder, we had an empty chair for Hersh, symbolizing that so many hostages were being held and were away from their families. Hersh, after almost eleven months in captivity, was murdered by Hamas, as another senseless death in a tragedy that will never be forgotten.
The atrocities of October 7th cannot be understood as part of a military conflict because, overwhelmingly, it was mostly civilians like Hersh who were attacked—including at a music festival for peace and love.[7] And, as noted above, the weaponization of rape and sexual violence is beyond the pale and a war crime. Nonetheless, some were willing to look readily past the murder of nearly 1,200 people, even suggesting that the atrocities were justified.
The fallout from the war against Hamas has unleashed, even in the early weeks, rhetoric that can only be understood as representing the ugly face of antisemitism. In January, for example, a leader of student protests on Columbia University’s campus posted a video on social media stating that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.”[8] Other messages were more veiled, like “globalize the intifada,” referring to an earlier era in Israel when terrorists killed Jews through suicide bombings.[9] Finally, some evoked a call eerily indifferent to the Holocaust, telling American Jews to “go back to Poland.”[10]
The fallout since October 7th has raised many questions and tensions. For starters, many are asking what it means to be a Zionist while others are using the term as an abusive epithet. Stated simply, being a Zionist means believing that Israel has a right to exist. It does not mean, however, that one necessarily supports all the actions or policies of the current Israeli government. And it does not mean that Jews do not care about the deaths and suffering of Palestinians during this war.
One of the painful aspects of the post-October 7th conversation is the false framing that people are of either one of two, and only two, minds: (1) they are either indifferent to the suffering of Palestinians; or (2) they are supporters of Hamas. This gross oversimplification is wrong and does a disservice to this difficult conflict. Jon and Rachel Polin-Goldberg, in addressing the Democratic National Convention, put the lie to this false dichotomy, calling for the immediate return of the hostages and expressing deep concern for the suffering of innocent Palestinians.
For Jews, we are hard wired to care about the suffering of others—and to never label someone as an “other.” At the Passover Seder, for example, we are told never forget the stranger, for we were strangers in a strange land. Indeed, during the Passover Seder, we take some of our wine to recognize the deaths of Egyptians during the exodus. At my family seder this year, we recognized the suffering and deaths of Palestinians during this war and prayed for peace. That compassion is a core part of who we are as Jews.
II. The Rise of Dehumanizing Language
Given the horrors and atrocities committed on October 7th, many will want to look away from what happened and even ignore ugly rhetoric about Jews. But, even though it is uncomfortable, refusing to bear witness is a mistake. By facing contemporary antisemitism head-on, we can recognize that Never Again is not a hypothetical call to action. Never Again means not just “never again” another Holocaust—it also means working to prevent another pogrom or massacre like October 7th.
A core challenge for us today is to resist efforts to dehumanize one another. We see this daily on social media, on talk radio, or on the news—attempts to divide us by dehumanizing those from whom we are different or have differing beliefs. This type of propagated hate is tearing at the fabric of our society. The Nazi flag, the Confederate flag, and symbols of the Ku Klux Klan are not innocuous symbols—or event relics of the past that can be ignored. Rather, they are warning signs to be taken seriously. When those invoking such symbols claim that they are “taking our country back by any means necessary” or “protecting America for the real Americans,” we must pay attention.
In Steamboat Springs last fall, a Nazi swastika was engraved into a bench at the local high school. What the community did in response was extraordinary—it responded by developing a new organization, Steamboat Team Against Antisemitism and Discrimination, or STAND. The group organized an important assembly at the high school—including local faith communities and law enforcement—and built a broad coalition against hate and hate crimes. Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary explained the goals of the group as follows: “to make a better and safer Steamboat, not just [for my kids] as they grow older, but for other kids too, who deserve a safe and inclusive place to live.”[11]
We are living at a time of rising inflammatory rhetoric, such as “globalize the intifada.” Such dangerous calls, including ones to stamp out the “other,” are on the rise.[12] The virus of hate, moreover, does not necessarily start or stop with antisemitism. The famous lines from German pastor Martin Niemöller, uttered just after the Holocaust, are worth recalling:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”[13]
Today, we can readily find examples of many communities, including Jewish Americans, Black Americans, Islamic Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and LGBTQ Americans, being targeted as “the other.” And those doing the targeting are often ready to target other groups next. A mass shooter in Buffalo, for example, massacred Black Americans and left behind a warning that he was coming for the Jews next.[14] And an attack on a synagogue near San Diego was inspired by an attack on a mosque in Christ Church, New Zealand.[15]
Rising terror and hate groups are emboldened and aided by the Internet. In years past, murderers like those who killed Matthew Shepherd might not have easily found sympathizers or support for their hateful viewpoints. But today, these disturbed people need only to go online to have their bigotry validated and amplified by others with similar warped viewpoints.
A through line for rising hate speech is that it dehumanizes and demonizes people because of who they are. This hate-filled ideology seeks to break the promise George Washington long ago shared with a Rhode Island synagogue that America is a land where “everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”[16] His promise paraphrased a statement from the Book of Micah, which also tells us to “do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”[17]
III. In the Name of Love
The question of how to respond to rising hate is a critical one for our time. Algorithms on social media, unfortunately, function to perpetrate outrage and anger—showing more hate-filled content to the hateful.[18] Consider, for example, the case of a New York City career police officer, who served in Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s security detail and showed up at the Capitol on January 6th, alongside others with Confederate flags and Nazi symbols, ready to fight. And he committed crimes that day as a result.[19] The presiding judge, in considering this person’s request for a pre-trial release with no bail, agreed to his release, but asked him first what possessed him to do such a thing. His answer—that he had watched scores of videos of people like him being persecuted by the government. And those videos, on social media, came to him because of its algorithm that seeks to keep people engaged. In his case, they also fueled his rage. When the judge let him out before trial, he did so on a special condition—no access to the Internet.[20]
We must imagine a different form of group identification—not one driven by hate, but one driven by love. What does it look like when groups can embrace their differences, to know one another, and to lead with loving kindness towards one another? At my son’s high school cultural night, for example, different ethnic and affinity groups—including Jewish students, Black students, Asian students, LGBTQ students, Islamic students, and others—each provided a glimpse into their heritage and traditions. Parents and students came together with a spirit of genuine curiosity and respectful engagement. Such events are truly impactful. Some studies, for example, demonstrate that schools that provide opportunities for experiencing a diverse set of cultures, such as serving ethnic food and sharing in different cultural traditions, feel a greater sense of belonging, well-being, and support.[21]
As we work to build bonds of love, we can honor the teaching of Dr. King to lead in the name of love. He famously emphasized that “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”[22] The flip side of his point is that there are painful consequences when people hide who they are. Unfortunately, we live in a time where many—including many Jews—are afraid to acknowledge their traditions and live openly and comfortably as who they are.
Together, we can carry on Dr. King’s legacy and define America as a nation that lives by our credo, “e pluribus unum,” from many, we are one. Our nation has a strong aspirational commitment to honor the promise of George Washington—we all must be able to live safely as who we are. When our neighbors are killed at Club Q in Colorado Springs because of who they are, that’s not an attack on one community. It is an attack on all of us. Together, we can have the courage to bear witness to the growing hate and instead create bonds of humanity and a society where we all can flourish. That requires taking away the oxygen for hate, including by repairing our world where too many feel lonely, isolated, angry—that leaves people open to bigoted appeals that promise shared bonds built from hate.
* * *
I understand how many want to turn our heads away and not see the hate, the hate crimes, the atrocities, and the dehumanization of others. But we must resist that temptation and bear witness to and recognize the harm that victims have suffered—on October 7th and here in Colorado. We also must redouble our efforts to treat one another with loving kindness. As we are taught by author of the Amen Affect, Rabbi Sharon Brous, we must train ourselves to show up, ask those who are hurting “how are you?,” and be mindful of our own use of language.[23]
We are indeed living in a scary time. Now is also an important time when the promise of America—as a land of freedom and justice for all—will prevail over the perils of division, hate, and isolation. That’s the promise that brought my grandparents, my mom, and so many others to America after surviving the Holocaust. We must all do our part to make good on that promise. Thank you all for doing your part to ensure Never Again and realize the vision of brothers and sisters living together in harmony.
[1] Jason DeRose, Holocaust Remembrance Day Rings Different After the Oct. 7 Hamas Attack, NPR (Jan. 26, 2024, 4:56 PM), https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227247649/holocaust-remembrance-day-rings-different-after-the-oct-7-hamas-attack.
[2] Phil Weiser, Attorney General of Colorado, Speech on The Rise and Challenge of Contemporary Antisemitism to the Annual Babi Yar Remembrance Ceremony, Mizel Museum (Sep. 27, 2023), https://coag.gov/blog-post/rise-challenge-antisemitism-babi-yar-remembrance-9-27-23/#_ftn7; U.S. Antisemitic Incidents Hit Highest Level Ever Recorded, ADL Audit Finds, ANTI-DEFANMATION LEAGUE, (March 23, 2023), https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/us-antisemitic-incidents-hit-highest-level-ever-recorded-adl-audit-finds.
[3] Anti-Israel Activists Celebrate Hamas Attacks that Have Killed Hundreds of Israelis, Anti-Defamation League (Oct. 7, 2023), https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/anti-israel-activists-celebrate-hamas-attacks-have-killed-hundreds-israelis.
[4] Dov Lieber & David S. Cloud, Hamas Fighters’ Orders: ‘Kill as Many People as Possible’, The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 14, 2023, 3:04 PM), https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-fighters-orders-kill-as-many-people-as-possible-2a6abff8.
[5] Anna Schechter, Videos of Hamas Attack Suggest a Chilling Evolution of Jihadist Tactics, NBC News (Oct. 27, 2023, 11:52 PM), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/videos-hamas-attack-suggest-jihadism-evolved-chilling-new-ways-rcna122564.
[6] United Nations, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Mission Report: Official Visit of the Office of the SRSG-SVC to Israel and the Occupied West Bank 5 (2024).
[7] New Tally Puts Oct 7 Attack Death Toll In Israel At 1,189, Barron’s (May 28, 2024), https://www.barrons.com/news/new-tally-puts-oct-7-attack-death-toll-in-israel-at-1-189-3e038de6.
[8] Katherine Rosman, Columbia Bars Student Protester Who Said ‘Zionists Don’t Deserve to Live’, N.Y. Times (Apr. 26, 2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/nyregion/columbia-student-protest-zionism.html.
[9] Susan Svrluga, At Columbia, Israel-Gaza Tensions Simmer as Leaders Face House Hearing, Wash. Post (Apr. 16, 2024), https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/16/columbia-university-israel-gaza-campus-tensions/.
[10] Luis Ferré-Sadurní et al., Some Jewish Students Are Targeted as Protests Continue at Columbia, N.Y. Times (Apr. 21, 2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/21/nyregion/columbia-protests-antisemitism.html.
[11] STANDing Up Against Discrimination, Steamboat Magazine (May 2, 2024), https://www.steamboatmagazine.com/2024/05/02/488659/standing-up-against-discrimination.
[12] Antisemitism, Islamophobia Surge in 2023, Watchdogs Say, Voice of America (Dec. 29, 2023), https://www.voanews.com/a/antisemitism-islamophobia-surge-in-2023-watchdogs-say/7407451.html.
[13] Martin Niemöller: “First They Came For…”, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Holocaust Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists.
[14] Philissa Kramer & Ron Kampeas, Buffalo Shooter’s Manifesto Includes Antisemitic Rhetoric Along With Racism, Forward (May 15, 2022), https://forward.com/fast-forward/502458/buffalo-shooters-manifesto-includes-antisemitic-rhetoric-along-with-racism/.
[15] Bill Hutchinson & Matt Gutman, Suspect in Deadly San Diego Synagogue Shooting Linked to Mosque Arson Fire: Source, ABC News (Apr. 28, 2019, 7:56 PM), https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspect-deadly-san-diego-synagogue-shooting-linked-mosque/story?id=62685051.
[16] Letter from George Washington to The Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island (Aug. 18, 1790) (published in 6 The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series, July – August 1790 284-86 (Mark A. Mastromarino ed., Univ. Press of Va. 1996)).
[17] Micah 6:8 (New King James).
[18] Two Studies: Social Media Algorithms Fuel Online Hate, Tech Transparency Project (Aug. 17, 2023), https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/two-studies-social-media-algorithms-fuel-online-hate.
[19] Michael Kunzelman, Former NYPD Officer Gets 10 Years in Prison for Participating in the Jan. 6 Insurrection, PBS News (Sep. 1, 2022, 5:46 PM), https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/former-nypd-officer-gets-10-years-in-prison-for-participating-in-the-jan-6-insurrection.
[20] Michael Wilson, How a Respected N.Y.P.D. Officer Became the Accused Capitol Riot #EyeGouger, N.Y. Times (Jul. 27, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/nyregion/capitol-riot-january-6.html.
[21] See, e.g., Savas Karatas et al., Meeting in School: Cultural Diversity Approaches of Teachers and Intergroup Contact Among Ethnic Minority and Majority Adolescents, 94 Child Dev. 237 (2023) (finding that “adolescents experienced more positive (e.g., warm and respectful interactions) as well as less negative (e.g., distant and insulting interactions) contact in their schools when their teachers treated ethnic minority and majority adolescents equally.”).
[22] Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love 47 (1963).
[23] Sharon Brous, Train Yourself to Always Show Up, N.Y. Times (Jan. 19, 2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/opinion/religion-ancient-text-judaism.html.