When we gathered as a community to mourn and support each other in the aftermath of the barbaric attack of October 7, most of us could not have imagined that over 260 days later, there would still be over 100 hostages in captivity, with growing fear that only a small portion of those are still alive, and that the violence would have continued and even expanded to affect wider areas of Israel and Gaza. The death toll and humanitarian crisis that has unfolded is horrific, and painful to witness. Many in the Nashville community have personal connections and family members who are suffering in Israel and Gaza, and many more feel passionately and desperate about what is happening but torn on what to do.
Some cities have attempted to address local concerns about the war by passing variations of resolutions, some of which have included inflammatory language and questionable data. Sadly, these resolutions, no matter how well-meaning, are often divisive and are overall not an effective tool in addressing a complicated, complex international situation. Nashville Metro Council considered proposing such a resolution, but it was quickly withdrawn as it became clear that the language, carefully considered with the intention of being balanced, did more to inflame the strongly held perspectives and emotions at play, and would have only created more local turmoil and dissent.
While the proposed resolution itself was seen as problematic by some, the more worrisome fallout was what happened within the Jewish community after the proposal was made public. Once we at the Jewish Federation became aware of the proposed resolution, Observer editor, Barbara Dab, worked quickly to share relevant information with the community and arranged interviews with several Metro Council members to contextualize and provide insight and background on the process.
As soon as the information was shared, the truly concerning situation began in which some Jewish community members began attacking others, using vile and dangerous language, completely violating a sense of trust among members of our community.
The Jewish community of greater Nashville is diverse in opinion and background, and we at the Jewish Federation do our best to respect those different voices and opinion, understanding that in almost all cases, there will not be complete consensus on anything. In fact, that is one of the strengths of our tradition in which we are encouraged to argue and debate.
What is not OK is to use dangerous language to diminish, disrespect or attack others personally. It is that type of internal strife and division that will cause us harm. We cannot allow ourselves to turn on one another, or on our elected officials, over differences of perspective.
It is not easy to stay open in what Nicholas Kristof’s has described as a “toxic public debate.” In a recent essay he offers an attempt to address the situation using a set of morally complicated principle including:
“We can identify as pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but priority should go to being anti-massacre, anti-starvation and anti-rape. Each side justifies its own brutality by pointing to the earlier cruelty by the other side…Let’s focus instead on saving lives in the coming months and years.
War nurtures dehumanization that produces more war. Too many Palestinians dehumanize Jews and too many Jews dehumanize Palestinians. When we dehumanize others, we lose our own humanity.”
Regardless of how upcoming Metro Council actions unfold, it is critical that we in the Jewish community not turn on one another. Overall, there is far more that unites us than divides us, and staying unified, even if we disagree, is critical to our safety and wellbeing. Our community is being targeted by too many groups and individuals who mean us harm, and who want to undermine our sense of security through harassment and intimidation, hoping we will give up and give into their desire that we no longer live our lives in fullness and pride of our heritage. We must stay unified in our resolve to oppose these outside groups.
We have been informed that extremist groups are planning antisemitic activity here in Nashville this summer. Jewish Federation and JCRC work diligently, deliberately, strategically, and consistently to do everything in our power to keep our community safe and secure. Many Jewish communities declined participating in local Pride month activities because of these security concerns. We can and should be proud of our community who will be represented at Pride weekend by Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Jewish Family Service and The Temple. Our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community will not be diminished by threats or intimidation. We will stand proudly and resolutely at the events throughout the weekend. We will not cower, and we will not retreat from our principles, our values and most importantly, from our commitment to be welcoming and inclusive of all members of our Jewish community.
JCRC Activity in June:
Presentations about the Jewish community and modern antisemitism were shared with several community groups, including the Nashville Public Library.
Jewish families were invited to work with a national group addressing antisemitism in local schools.
Coordination of program with Vanderbilt Chancellor Diermeier. The recording can be viewed on YouTube: Principled Neutrality Amid Campus Activism with Chancellor Diermeier
Ongoing communication with Metro Council and other elected officials to address issues of concern to the Jewish community
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