With Fire in Our Eyes, We Will Fight for Our Family (LECH LECHA)
It is important that we start by standing in solidarity and sending our hearts to all of the Israelis attacked in Amsterdam last night at the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer game. I want to do so in the context of our learning, and I also want to share something I haven’t shared before. When we go live on Facebook, as you all noted, certain comments get hidden. For example, whenever someone uses the word “Israel,” Facebook hides the comment, and I have to manually “unhide it.” I want to point this out because I want us to use the word more — to face this form of institutionalized Antisemitism. I want us to be proud, to love louder, to be present more fiercely.
These small, hidden actions are microcosms of a larger structure that we need to challenge. So, keep on being proud. In Dutch, the phrase for “I am a Jew” is “Ik ben een Jood.” Let us flood Facebook with love for our homeland and keep doing it until this censorship doesn’t happen anymore. Post on your own feeds to call attention to this digital aggression against the Jewish community. Be brave, be loud, be present. “Ik ben een Jood” — “I am a Jew” — in Dutch, in English, and in Hebrew: “Ani Yehudi.”
The mob in Amsterdam that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Israeli fans injured ten people, with two or three still unaccounted for as of two hours ago. Israel has taken steps to protect its fans, and heads of state across Europe have condemned the attack. The King of the Netherlands even said, “We failed our Jewish community during World War II, and last night we failed you again.” But until such noble statements are matched by real action against antisemitism, they’re as meaningless as thoughts and prayers are in America on the issue of gun violence. We need to hold leaders accountable and never shrink back.
How does all this connect to Torah? Lech Lecha is my Bar Mitzvah parsha, my sister’s Bat Mitzvah parsha, two of my sons’ parsha, and my father’s Bar Mitzvah parsha. We love this one a lot. But every time we read it, we rarely focus on a specific part of Genesis, Chapter 14, where Abraham’s nephew Lot is kidnapped. When Abraham hears about it, he leads his trained servants — 318 men — and pursues Lot’s captors until dawn, ultimately rescuing him and bringing back all the people and goods.
Rashi offers an interesting comment here. He says Abraham pursued until Dan because that’s where, much later, the sin of the Golden Calf was committed. BUT — Despite being tired, Abraham and his allies continued fighting. And friends, despite our exhaustion, we fight. This is where we are in Jewish history, yet again.
Those attacking Jews in Amsterdam, those attacking Jews on US campuses, and those claiming to help Palestinians by harming Jews — all need to be countered. There is no difference between fighting against Israel and attacking Jews. The attacks on synagogues and the harassment of Jewish students are plain and simple antisemitism.
I carry our people, just like you do. The Israeli flag, with its Magen David, is not just a national symbol; it is meant to represent a tallit, a prayer shawl. When my children visited Poland and wrapped themselves in the flag, they were embracing and being embraced our people. Those who think there’s a difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism should think again. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.
Yes, we have internal work to do. Pay attention to Israeli politics; it’s complicated. But this is the work of a sovereign people, and we fought hard and lost so much to reclaim our homeland. We’re not done fighting.
In these horrific moments, when our people are attacked, remember that 101 people — Jews and non-Jews — are still held hostage, and terror groups like Hamas have global cheerleaders. Ignoring Jewish vulnerability is part of this antisemitism. The microaggressions — like Facebook hiding comments with the word “Israel” — are part of structural antisemitism that we must challenge. Just as Abraham fought when Lot was taken, so must we.
No matter how tired we might feel, we never stop fighting for our family. “Am Yisrael Chai” is our pledge, our oath, our promise. I say it, sing it, and celebrate it for the sake of my children and future generations. We envision a world where everyone has what they need. That’s our promise, and being proud and present is how we make it happen.
So as we get ready for Shabbat, let your Jewish pride shine. Feel the love for our people, the resilience, the determination, the strength. This vision of a just and loving world for all is what it means to believe as a Jew. And we will endure. No force in the world can diminish our fire for life, for justice, and for each other. Our hearts go out to those affected by the attacks in Amsterdam, and our prayers for peace go with them. We are stronger than ever, and we will remain so.
“Am Yisrael Chai” — we are here, and we will keep fighting.