After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel perpetrated by Hamas, protests and incidents of hate occurred on college campuses nationally. Antisemitism on campus sharply increased. University figures were rightly chastised for their conduct regarding antisemitism.
Congressional hearings with leaders of well-respected colleges discussed the rising levels of antisemitism in their schools and how they planned to address it. Non-answers by Ivy League presidents in these hearings led to their resignations. Protests could spill into antisemitic chants and slogans. Tulane University was a part of this, with a student being attacked during a protest on Freret Street.
While all of this is true and extremely concerning, discussions about antisemitism tend to be somewhat overblown. Yes, anti-Jewish hate crimes have risen more than 35% in the last year, and account for the majority of religious hate crimes in America. On the other hand, members of the Jewish population tend to hyperbolize the current state of antisemitism. Ask any Jewish mother what they think of Ivy League colleges, and there’s a good chance you will hear a metaphor comparing their leadership to Jihadi terrorists. In reality, college campuses are not some pseudo-Nazi wasteland; instead, they are usually where Jewish communities have the opportunity to thrive and grow.
The Jewish community is threatened by assimilation, which is arguably a greater challenge. Assimilation shrinks the Jewish population more effectively than acts of antisemitism and is affecting American Jewry right under our noses.
More and more throughout the country, there are Jews who, by choice or not by choice, are leaving their ancestral background and are not carrying on Jewish tradition, religion and race with their children. This begs the question: Does assimilation carry the same harm as antisemitism when it comes to the current state of American Jewry?
I do want to make it clear that I am not undermining antisemitism in any way. It is a real threat that should be discussed more frequently. In fact, just recently, a group of Jews were found and attacked at a soccer game in Amsterdam. Two students at Depaul University in Chicago were attacked earlier this month. Instead of dismissing antisemitism, and undermining the victims of these attacks, I am trying to bring awareness to a different problem among the community that should be talked about at the scale of antisemitism.
Antisemitism is clearly defined: hostility and prejudice towards the Jewish people, which can take many different forms. Jewish assimilation can be defined as the gradual cultural assimilation and social assimilation of Jews into their surrounding American culture.
Jews used assimilation to their benefit, but still managed to keep traditions alive and build a Jewish community in America. Although in the early stages of Jewry in America, assimilation was harmless, it has evolved into a bigger threat. Defining assimilation as an issue is slightly harder.
Jews have a hard time defining themselves. Every Jew has a different definition for what their people are. This leads to people giving up and not associating with Judaism, no matter how you define it. Assimilation in the early stages of American Jewry wasn’t a problem because they weren’t discarding any part of their background, they were just adopting American ideals.
Modern assimilation is a threat and can be labeled as a concern. More and more Jews are completely dissociated from the idea of being Jewish and not because of a lack of faith in the religion.
The issue is that it’s not people’s inherent choice to become assimilated into American culture; they have no choice but to do so. There are certain barriers that stop people from indulging in their Judaism. Since communities are tight-knit groups, and although they aren’t closed off in any way, they might be intimidating or out of reach to certain people.
Suppose you are a Jewish kid who has grown up in an environment without a strong Jewish community. In that case, your only outlet for Judaism might be through temple or extracurricular activities. If your parents aren’t pushing you to indulge in these programs, then there isn’t a strong chance Judaism will stick.
This becomes a problem because if someone is not identifying as a Jew, then they aren’t being officially counted as a Jew, and the Jewish population will diminish over time. More Jews are being lost to means of absorption than Jews being killed in antisemitic attacks in America. So, what’s the solution?
College campuses are places where Jews who were not necessarily involved in their communities back home are given the opportunity to explore their Jewish identities and backgrounds. Organizations like Tulane Hillel and Chabad do an incredible job of creating approachable and fun events that reinvigorate Judaism within students and build incredibly large and strong communities.
Unfortunately, this is not true for every college. At other campuses, the Jewish population isn’t as strong, which leads to Jewish organizations not being properly funded, organized or populated. If these colleges took a page out of Tulane’s book, or any other college that has successfully developed strong Jewish communities, then maybe they could combat involuntary assimilation.
Something else preventing Jews from joining their community could be the image surrounding it. Jews are constantly facing assumptions of antisemitic stereotypes. Why would someone want to join a community fraught with hate? Along with that, Jews are assumed to hold certain opinions about the conflict in the Middle East. Someone who has never felt strongly about the conflict might not want to jump right into something deemed controversial.
Jews who want to convince other Jews to get more involved should push a different image — one centered around the positive and productive values within Judaism. Tikkun Olam and Mitzvahs, two central facets of the Jewish faith, are ideas of living a life of service and charity. Jews could also push the benefits attributed to the strong community that comes with being a Jew.
Finding solutions to assimilation is important. If someone is worried about someone being affected by antisemitism, then they should be just as worried about someone’s Judaism being lost to assimilation. If you are a Jew, indulge in your community, build it and get those around you involved. Push the values of Judaism that make it special and make the community attractive to join.
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