Jews in the News

Anne Neuberger, head of NSA Cybersecurity Directorate (Jewish Press)

There is some good news to share about our people in this country. For a change.

First I want to offer my congratulations to Anne (Chani) Neuberger, a Charedi woman from Boro Park who - as reported in the Jewish Press - has just been appointed head of the new Cybersecurity Directorate being created at the U.S. National Security Agency.

Mrs. Neuberger attended Beis Yaakov of Boro Park for high school, Touro for her undergraduate degree, and then went on to receive her Masters from Columbia University. She has since been a guest lecturer at Columbia, Harvard, and Stanford. That is quite an accomplishment for anyone. Let alone for someone from a community that places so little value on a secular education (at least for men).

Mrs. Neuberger joins Judge Ruchie Freier as yet another successful Charedi woman that - by being who she is - has made yet another Kiddush HaShem.

But that is not the only good news. Read on.

I think it is safe to say that President Trump is seen by AT LEAST half of America as the worst thing to happen to this country since the Civil War. And yet the vast majority of Orthodox Jews, the most visibly Jewish segment of American Jewry enthusiastically supports the President.  

One might conclude that this has hurt our image with the American people.  Especially since the President surrounds himself with so many Jews – some of them Orthodox. Guilt by association.  I think there are a lot of Jews that are therefore dismayed by that support. They might even see Orthodox Jews being at least  indirectly contributing to the very real rise in antisemitism. 

Then there is the fact that so many identifiable Jews have been indicted for and/or convicted of a variety of crimes (whether financial  or sexual). Just to name a few of the more prominent Jewish names: Madoff, Abramoff, Cohen, Weinstein, Moonves and most recently, Epstein.

The fact that sympathetic media coverage of the plight of the Palestinians (especially in Gaza) suggesting that it’s all Israel’s fault should add fuel to the fire.

But the conclusion that all this has tarnished our image with the American people is just plain wrong. 

As I have said many times, the American people are - as a whole - a truly great people. Fair minded, kind, and compassionate. Americans do not see our differing beliefs in any kind of disparaging way. If a Jew has done something wrong which has been made public, Americans do NOT paint us all with a broad brush. They just see one individual who is a scoundrel. That he happened to be Jewish is irrelevant. That view is corroborated by the latest poll taken by the prestigious and highly regarded Pew Research Center. From the World Jewish Daily: 

In the U.S., no major religious group is viewed more warmly by the overall public than Jews. When asked to rate a variety of groups on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 (coldest and most negative) to 100 (warmest and most positive), Americans give Jews an average rating of 63 degrees, and four-in-ten people rate Jews in the warmest portion of the scale (at 67 degrees or higher). 

And yet there are those that insist antisemitism lurks behind every corner. The ADL (Anti Defamation League) is quick to remind us that antisemitism is on the rise. However, they do us a disservice by not mentioning that the rise is not indicative of a change in how Americans really feel about is. By not doing that, the implication is that there has been a decrease in the positive way in which the Jewish people are viewed here. Which also implies that there is a renewed or reawakened antisemitism in this country that is becoming endemic.

The truth is nothing like that. The reason for the increased antisemitism is as follows. The antisemites that do exist (have always existed; and will probably continue to exist) have become more emboldened to act on it in deadly ways.  Why that is the case, is beyond the scope of this post.

That being said, it would be foolish to ignore the rise in antisemitism. We should certainly be aware of it; keep our eyes peeled for it; and implement whatever protections and preventative measures we can.  But at the same time it should be made abundantly clear that the vast majority of our fellow non Jewish American citizens do not in any way harbor any antisemitic feelings. The opposite is true. The correct way to see how Americans from across the entire political spectrum feel about us is to see how they reacted to the deadly events in Pittsburgh and Poway.  

Despite that, there are still a lot of Jews that actually believe that deep down Americans are antisemitic. Especially if they are religious. They will cite the famous Rashi which says ‘Eisav Sonei L’Yaakov’. Which has been interpreted to mean that the ‘Goyim’ hate us. Always have and always will. And that not much is needed for it to come out in full force – the way it did in Europe in the late 30s. Beginning in Germany where - having been fully assimilated into German culture - many Jews believed they were living in a Jewish paradise. Until they didn’t. I can’t even count the number of times I have heard in the past few years that we are living 1939 all over again.  

That comparison is false. That Pew has found that we are still so highly admired in spite of all the above-mentioned negatives gives lie to that belief. I think we ought to recognize that America is truly different. I know that sounds cliché. But I believe it and Pew continues to corroborate it. God bless the United States of America.