Being the daughter of Holocaust survivors, I have often appreciated how incredibly optimistic my mother always was, despite everything she lost — her father, her home, 80 relatives, and so much more. As I think about my parents’ survival, and how they clung to Judaism and picked up the pieces after the war, my mind goes to the Jewish people as a whole, and how miraculously durable we have been. But what if we weren’t? What if we allowed others to destroy our dreams, our identity, or our connection to Israel, starting with the Greeks and Romans? What if we didn’t find creative ways to keep our traditions alive, no matter where we lived in the world? What if all of us had given in to the threats and converted to other religions? What if we had folded in the face of so much antisemitism? And what if we let terrorism break our spirit or our commitment to Israel?
Some say that Jews are “a stubborn people.” Yet maybe that has served us well. Maybe being stubborn has saved our lives, our faith, and our connection to our homeland. Maybe that’s why we have survived all the barbaric ways other peoples have tried and failed to destroy us or break our collective spirit.
I remain proud and stubborn about the importance of being a Jew. A Jew connected to my Judaism, and a Jew connected to Israel. For me, this is not a question, or a choice – it is a sacred responsibility.
