Despite significant progress in fighting antisemitism over the past decades, recent years have borne witness to an alarming increase in antisemitic incidents. 

Jews around the world and across the United States have been targeted by acts of violence, vandalism of synagogues and a surge in online antisemitic rhetoric. This age-old prejudice continues to rear its ugly head, posing a not insignificant threat to Jewish communities around the world.

In response to this, the White House last month released the “U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.” The 60-page report advocates for increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, strengthening laws against hate crimes, and improving the safety and security of Jewish communities and institutions around the United States.

While the many well-intentioned efforts, both public and private, in response to the problem of antisemitism are much needed and applaudable, I’d like to suggest taking a deeper look at the underlying strategy being employed and to introduce a complementary strategy that would advance a more productive and more positive and uplifting response to the otherwise ugly and wholly negative phenomenon of antisemitism. 

For the most part, the approach being followed is largely outward directed. It addresses antisemitism by focusing primarily on the source of the hate, namely the adversaries of the Jewish people. The goal is to identify the haters, call them out, condemn and shame them and do whatever we can to neutralize them.

While this approach makes perfect sense, I suggest that we think about this issue more deeply and gently pivot our collective response toward the problem. In addition to focusing on the haters of the Jewish people, let us direct our greatest attention to focus inward, toward our own Jewish selves, with the goal of strengthening Jewish identity and promoting Jewish pride, knowledge and practice. 

Thursday, June 22, marked the yahrzeit of the passing of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. As one of the most influential Jewish leaders in modern history, the Rebbe transformed a small Hasidic group that barely survived the horrors of the Holocaust into a worldwide movement — arguably the largest in Jewish history — that today serves the Jewish people with more than 5,000 emissaries and institutions spanning 100 countries.

The Rebbe was an extraordinarily prolific teacher, with an output, both written and spoken, that staggers the imagination. Yet, across the thousands of hours of his public talks and hundreds of published volumes, it is hard to find an instance when the Rebbe spoke out against antisemitism directly. This certainly is not to suggest that the issue was not a top priority for him. Every sentence of the Rebbe’s talks reverberates with his passionate concern for Jews and Judaism and surely, as well, the threat of antisemitism. It is just that his approach was not conventional.

Instead of tangling with the negativity of haters who seek to diminish Jews and Jewishness, the Rebbe taught that the best antidote to antisemitism is an affirmative one. That we take positive action to direct our energies inward, toward increasing Jewish knowledge among our people. 

Rather than shake our fists at the stubborn darkness, we must increase the light, as the well-worn adage says, “a little bit of light dispels a great deal of darkness.” We need to encourage Jews to grow and celebrate their Jewishness more fully, more robustly and with unabashed pride.

I recall that in the 1970s, a number of Jewish organizations launched a national campaign urging Jewish families to leave an empty chair at their Passover Seders as an expression of solidarity with the oppressed Jews of the communist Eastern Bloc who were unable to properly celebrate Passover. 

When the Rebbe was told about this idea he responded: “The intent is a good one, but instead of leaving an empty chair, the chair should be filled.” 

Instead of highlighting the Jews who are missing from the seder table, let us encourage Jewish families to find a Jew who otherwise would not be attending a Passover seder and invite them to fill an additional chair at the table. 

The oppressors want fewer Jews and less Passover, the Rebbe was saying. Our most effective response would be to bring about the exact opposite: Get more Jews, as many Jews as possible, to celebrate Passover. 

This was the Rebbe’s way of combating antisemitism. Rather than highlighting the pain of our suffering, he sought to elevate the celebration of our rich heritage. This is an altogether positive and refreshing approach that goes to the heart of how Jews ought to address the issue of antisemitism.

Instead of wrestling with the darkness and the evil, we should strive to increase the light and the goodness. People who engage in antisemitism have a very clear and specific goal in mind: to diminish Jews and Judaism. Our response to that can either be one of fear and reluctance to openly celebrate Jewish life, or to add and expand our activities and our Jewish engagement. The former works to benefit the goal of our haters, the latter undermines it.

The measures detailed by the White House’s report of additional security and added awareness of hatred towards Jews are important. But equally and even more important is increasing our own engagement with and celebration of Judaism. More Jewish learning and more Jewish doing and creating increases opportunities for both.

For so many years, Jewish identity has been shaped by an attitude that places antisemitism and Jewish suffering at the forefront of how we see ourselves. No doubt, that is also how we are seen by others. 

It is time that we shape our Jewish identity and not allow the unfortunate normalization of Jew hatred to define us. We are not victims of an oppressed past. We are the scions of a proud tradition and the champions of a bright Jewish future.\