Expert Analysis
The Jewish History Lesson Dana Nessel Forgot
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has failed an important Jewish history lesson in the wake of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s frontal attacks on Israel. It is a lesson told not just in the Book of Esther, but in the Book of Golda.
Speaking to Jewish Democrats in her state, Nessel, who is Jewish, placed survivability of the planet over survivability of her own people as El-Sayed looked on. “What good is defending the historic homeland of our ancestors and demanding that candidates acknowledge its right to exist,” Nessel asked, “if the planet upon which it rests is no longer inhabitable?”
Lost on Nessel, who said that Jews should “follow Esther’s path,” is the real lesson of the Purim Megillah, which is that Jewish survival is not negotiable. Queen Esther rescues her people by resolutely confronting King Ahasuerus and disclosing her Jewishness to him, underscoring that she herself is imperiled by the dictates of the evil viceroy Haman. Esther would not have condoned Nessel’s servile response to an existential threat. Nor would former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, who famously said, “If we have to choose between being dead and pitied, and being alive with a bad image, we would rather be alive and have the bad image.”
Should Antisemitism be Ignored?
In an age where politicians sometimes cater to the worst impulses of their parties’ extremists, Nessel has raised such pandering to a dangerous level, introducing the notion that the Jewish people are expendable—that in fact, Jewish existence might be an impediment to the greater good. Nessel stunningly suggested Jews should “sacrifice the comfort, safety, and security and even the very future of our own people in exchange for the opportunity to save the rest of humanity.”
The first point Nessel needs to understand is that Jewish extinction is not a prerequisite for humanity’s salvation. The failure of the Nazis or other antisemites to eliminate the Jews entirely has not furthered the degradation of the human race. In fact, the opposite has occurred.
It is well known that Jews have made landmark contributions to the development of science, technology, and medicine, with Jews winning more than 20% of all Nobel Prizes. Dr. Jonas Salk singlehandedly saved millions of people from death or paralysis by creating the first effective polio vaccine, while Albert Einstein changed our understanding of space and time by developing the theory of relativity. Jewish entertainers and creative artists have advanced the culture immeasurably, while Jewish activists and lawmakers have fought for civil rights and universal education.
How has Judaism shaped the Western World?
No less than the foundational values upon which Western civilization rests derive from Jewish sources. The belief in one God, the sacred value of every individual life, the designation of a day of rest, and the importance of charity and righteous acts all spring from Jewish texts, as do the ongoing repair of the world and the infinite pursuit of peace.
But perhaps most important of all, as Nessel and others who undervalue the Jewish tradition should learn, is that Jews taught the world how to argue and move beyond our differences. In the Torah, human beings argue with and question God; the Prophets argued with kings and other earthly leaders; in the Talmud, rabbis and sages argue seemingly endlessly with each other. But these disputes are not aimed at victory or conquest; they are intended to pursue and discover the truth. Makhloket l’shem shamayim is the sacred Jewish practice of “argument for the sake of heaven,” respectful debate for a higher purpose than triumph.
Jewish life is Not Negotiable
The Jewish world and our allies have employed many strategies to address the current wave of antisemitism. As Jew-hatred grows in momentum, those methods sometimes seem fruitless. But as we continue this struggle into the Jewish new year, it is imperative that we gird current and future generations in an understanding of what we are fighting for. The Jews deserve to live, and thrive, as any other group does. We need to take part in the world, but the world needs us as well.
Rabbi Eric Fusfield is B’nai B’rith International’s director of Legislative Affairs and deputy director of the The Daniel S. Mariaschin Institute for Leadership and Public Policy.