The “March” reminds us that the Jewish educational engagement of all
Jews must remain an enduring goal.
by Dr. Gil Graff for eJewish Philanthropy
For the third time over a period dating to 1996, I have joined thousands of
Jews from dozens of nations around the globe in the experience of “March of the
Living.” Initiated by Israeli Jews, a “Holocaust to Redemption” theme is
palpable: 70 years ago, Jews were, fundamentally, powerless and millions
perished; today, there is a powerful, sovereign State of Israel. This very
theme is often – including in his
Yom ha-Shoah message – invoked by
Binyamin Netanyahu, with reference to the threat of Iranian nuclear capability:
“Unlike our situation during the Holocaust, when we were like leaves on the
wind, defenseless, now we have great power to defend ourselves….”
Juxtaposition of the Holocaust and a powerful, sovereign state,
understandably resonates with most Israelis. Jewish sovereignty, after two
millennia, is a remarkable phenomenon. For Israelis, sovereignty and the
responsibility of power are realities that call for serious reflection. The
experiences of “March of the Living” provide a springboard for such reflection.
Data released shortly before
Israel’s
Independence Day showed an Israeli Jewish population of 6.135 million, representing
75% of
Israel’s
8.18 million residents. The opportunity of shaping a Jewish democratic state,
drawing upon values rooted in Jewish teaching, extending to the public sphere
in the 21st century, is a unique chapter in Jewish history. Though thousands of
North American Jews have chosen to move to Israel, the overwhelming majority of
American Jews – no less numerous than our Israeli counterparts – feels quite at
home in the land of their birth and citizenship.
America is not viewed as a nation
in which anything akin to the events leading to the Holocaust – let alone
anything resembling the Holocaust – might ever occur. While appreciating the
significance of Israeli sovereignty through the lens of the “March,” what, for
North American Jews – teens and adults – is the directly applicable take-away
of March of the Living?
As there are “seventy faces to the Torah,” there are multiple approaches to
making meaning of the “March.” The horrors of genocide and the imperative of
responding to the sorts of rhetoric and action that can lead in that direction,
are clear. In addition, I would suggest that a key message for North American
Jewry is the enduring importance of Jewish learning.
Poland
was, for hundreds of years, home to the most populous and, arguably, the most
culturally rich Jewish community in the world. Apart from sites that one
(hopefully) visits over the course of a “March”-associated week in Poland that
reflect this past, a magnificent museum of the Jewish experience in Poland has
recently opened, in Warsaw, devoted to sharing this legacy. The vitality of
Jewish life was grounded in communities that valued and nurtured Jewish
learning which, in turn, related to and influenced daily living. By the latter
half of the nineteenth century,
hasidim,
mitnagdim,
maskilim,
hovevei zion,
socialists, the
musar movement and new
yeshivot each drew in
their own way from a shared heritage of learning. Despite ideological divides,
most of these groups were sustained by the rich wellspring of Jewish learning,
though – to be sure – differently filtered. “Marchers,” who proceed to
Israel, recognize that there, too, elements of
shared language undergird the ferment that is part of
Israel’s
vitality.
Jewish learning represents a shared language that connects Jews of those
dozens of countries – including
Israel
– from which Jews “march.” Moreover, it enables bringing accumulated Jewish
wisdom and experience to bear on issues of life and society in the communities
of which Jews are a part, ennobling our lives in the process. In the absence of
Jewish learning, the fabric of Jewish living – including the capacity to
contribute the richness of our heritage to the body politic – will surely fray.
Near the close of this year’s March of the Living ceremony in Birkenau, a
Torah scroll was publicly completed. Fittingly, Holocaust survivors shared in
transmitting this torch of Jewish learning by filling in some of the last
letters of the scroll. If we are to remain a people with a purpose, our actions
must be grounded in Jewish learning. The closing words of the Torah are:
“before the eyes of all
Israel.”
The “March” reminds us that the Jewish educational engagement of all Jews must
remain an enduring goal.
Dr. Gil Graff is Executive Director of BJE: Builders of Jewish Education.
