On July 4, let’s work to continue America’s status as a haven for the Jewish community | Opinion
July 4 is a glorious celebration of American independence and of American values. We celebrate our freedom of assembly, our freedom of religion, and all the rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution.
The Fourth of July is especially cherished by American Jews. We understand all too well the pilgrims’ motivation in fleeing religious persecution, and our forefathers declaring that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, ideas they found in the Hebrew Scripture.
The American Jewish community also came to this land fleeing religious persecution in Germany, Soviet Russia, and the Arab world. They found a home in this country unlike any other before it in history. A home where they were allowed to prosper, and a nation that valued them as much as they valued it.
This year, July 4 is unique as it coincides with another great Jewish celebration of American patriotism. Thursday, July 4 on the Jewish calendar is the 28th of the month of Sivan, the day the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, arrived on American shores , escaping the evils of Hitler and Stalin, and beginning a new era of Judaism in America.
The Rebbe was born in Bolshevik Russia and had escaped Nazi Germany and Vichy France, before coming to American shores. Nearly his entire family had been slaughtered for their faith, along with countless members of his community.
And yet he found in America something entirely different. The Rebbe referred to America as a “Medina Shel Chessed,” a kingdom of kindness. He interacted frequently with American leaders, extolled America’s virtues and invested heavily in America’s future. The Rebbe also recognized and praise America’s unique government and celebrate the day he became an American citizen.
On the day of the Rebbe’s arrival, 81 years ago, he immediately established three world changing institutions. Kehos, a printing house dedicated to providing Jewish educational materials, Machane Yisroel, a charitable institution to promote Jewish life, and Merkos LInyonei Chinuch, an educational arm, that grew to be the largest and most vibrant movement in Judaism, today with 11,000 leaders, in over 100 countries, and all 50 states.
So as Americans celebrate our nation’s birthday, this year’s celebration takes on a special meaning for the Jewish community.
There is another aspect of the holiday that is deeply meaningful for American Jews.
For the last 81 years, the United States has provided a safe home, where the Jewish community could not only survive, but thrive. While antisemitism, or bigotry against Jews, still existed, here the government often sought to limit it, rather than supporting it. At no point in our history had our community been so safe for so long.
By many indicators, that legacy is at risk.
The Kentucky Jewish Council, in their annual report, recorded a record breaking number of antisemitic incidents, leading to the creation of a statewide antisemitism task force. In Cincinnati just this week, a historic Jewish cemetery was vandalized. Violent protests across the nations’ universities over the war in Gaza have led to harassment of Jewish students and worse.
For the first time in living memory, the idea of the United States as a safe home for Jewish people is in jeopardy.
This is not a problem for American Jews. It’s a problem for America.
It we are to live up the true meaning of our creed, America must be a place where all people, regardless of their religion, can live freely.
So this July 4, amid the fireworks, hot dogs, and slip and slides let’s celebrate America by dedicating ourselves to ensuring America remains, as the Rebbe called it, a Nation of Kindness.
It’s a legacy worth fighting for.
Rabbi Shlomo Litvin is executive director of Chabad of the Bluegrass and chair of the Kentucky Jewish Council.
