Dear
Spectator
Editorial Board,
Like many of you, I’ve been pondering the appropriate response to last Saturday’s horrific attack in a synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
On Monday, Chabad hosted Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger. He told his story about growing up in West Germany in the 1960s, and about learning that his father was an unrepentant Nazi, who was personally responsible for the deaths of untold numbers of Jews, and his eventual decision (after much study) to convert to Judaism.
It was a long story. But that’s it in a nutshell. As I was listening, I gleaned the words to describe my thoughts.
Change will come when we, as individuals, are more open. One need not con- vert to another faith as the Doctor did (nor is it necessarily the right decision), but asking questions instead of suspecting will stymie the growth of hate.
I’ve been an outsider much of my life. I grew up in a predominantly Ashkenazic- Jewish (European) community in Australia, while my mother hails from Yemen. We looked different to everyone else in our community. Today, I live in Clinton, and, together with my wife, am raising a Chabad family (currently 4 children). So yes, we are different from many in the local community
People stop by our home to ask questions. They also stop us in malls and super-markets, and they want to know more. I can tell people’s relief/surprise when they realize we are regular people (for the most part!)
This is not unique to me. I’m just sharing my first hand experience. I have met dozens of Jews who have told me that they’ve been asked, in all seriousness, by friends in college (usually twenty-five or more years ago) why they didn’t have horns. They weren’t all anti-Semites, but when we don’t challenge our presumptions by engaging head on, as uncomfortable as it is, ignorance, and eventually dislike, or even hate, prevail.
Engage openly. Ask respectfully. And realize that the world is full of way nicer and more friendly people than the evil, murderous ones.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Didy Waks, Chabad of Clinton
