Unmasking a Difficult Truth on Purim

This week and last I gave quite a number of interviews totelevision, radio and print media. It is an honour and a pleasure to representthe Jewish community in communicating critical issues around antisemitism. It'salso a big responsibility - one that is never taken lightly considering theseriousness of the issue.

One of the main questions I am typically asked to explain is whyantisemitism exists. My response is to share my belief that to explain whyantisemitism exists is to validate - if not to rationalize - the hate. One cando neither.

Purim, however, provides an excellent opportunity to educateabout antisemitism.

This weekend Jewish communities around the world will becelebrating Purim - a holiday that happily commemorates the Jewish community'svictory in ancient Persia over the king's antisemitic deputy, Haman. Wecelebrate the great about-face of a king who was convinced to commit genocideagainst the Jewish communities of Persia, but listened to reason in the end andhad his deputy hung instead.

This holiday serves as a reminder of how perilous societies canbecome for the Jewish people, despite having lived and thrived in thesesocieties for centuries.

A more contemporary example would be Warsaw, Poland, where thehistory of Jewish presence dates back some 800 years. Before the Holocaust,nearly three million Jews lived in Poland. After the war only a few thousandsurvivors could be accounted for - most of the Jews were murdered and theircommunities were destroyed.

Given what is happening here in Canada - particularly with thebomb threats made against several Jewish community centres this past week, manyof us are reflecting on this history and wondering if these events could happenagain.  And many of our friends are asking why they are happening at all.

The answers are centuries old. But they are also modern in manyways. The so called "new antisemitism" on university campuses,supported by unions and some church groups - is driven by a determined effortto disrupt, if not destroy the Jewish state - as the heart of the Jewish peopleand an extension of the Jewish soul. The familiar old antisemitism is rising uptoo, with an emboldening of white supremacist movements.

What can be done? I believe we can learn from the example set by Esther and Mordechai - thesaviours of the Jewish people in the story of Purim in Persia. They educatedand advocated and unveiled the true face of evil represented by Haman.

The weight and responsibility of educating and advocatingthrough the media or through our educational programs is significant. We cannotrest on our laurels or be silent.  Purim itself is disguised as a holidayof vindication - but behind the mask is a truth and reality that we must allexpose.