Sheryl Saperia's Examination of Antisemitism's Enduring Nature
The story of Passover stands as arguably the oldest and most foundational narrative of liberation in human history. It tells of an enslaved people, a tyrant who refused to yield, and a cry that has echoed across millennia: "Let my people go!" Two years ago, in an op-ed, Sheryl Saperia invoked these very words for the hostages held in Gaza—innocent individuals kidnapped from their homes, beds, and a music festival. While those hostages have since returned, alive or deceased, the cry rises once more as Jewish communities prepare for the Seder table this Passover. This time, it is not for captives behind tunnel walls but for something more elusive and challenging to address.
A Shift in Jewish Holiday Experiences
This Passover, like every Jewish holiday since October 7, 2023, carries a different weight—more profound, more relatable, and more personal. The recent holiday of Purim, which recounts Haman's plot to annihilate every Jew in Persia, resonated with particular force this year as Israel and the United States confronted the Iranian regime and its network of terror. Ancient stories have become morning news, blurring the lines between historical narratives and current events.
The Passover Seder traditionally revolves around four questions posed by the youngest child at the table. However, there exists a fifth question, arguably the oldest Jewish inquiry of all, asked in every generation, in every language, under every oppressor: why do they hate us? After the Holocaust, antisemitism was largely pushed to the fringes in Western societies. Since October 7, it has resurfaced, louder and more mainstream than many have witnessed in their lifetimes. This question demands a thoughtful answer.
A Hypothesis on Jewish Centrality
Sheryl Saperia presents one hypothesis, beginning with a message a friend received from his rabbi: that Jews should be grateful to be Jewish because they are blessed to be in the driver's seat of world history. This may sound audacious, but consider the evidence. Jews constitute a tiny people, making up just 0.2% of the global population. Israel is a small country, with approximately 10 million residents (20% of whom are Arab), in an area roughly the size of New Jersey. Jews do not seek to convert anyone to their beliefs.
Yet, Jews have contributed monotheism, the weekly day of rest, much of the moral architecture of Western civilization, and a disproportionate number of scientists, artists, doctors, and Nobel laureates to the world. They ask only to live in peace. Despite this, hatred against Jews has proven so consuming that it has become a defining obsession of human history, particularly in our current age.
The Global Obsession with Jewish Identity
There are significant global issues to contend with, including war, famine, and the dizzying upheaval of artificial intelligence reshaping what it means to be human. Yet, from university campuses to labor unions, from podcast studios to the floors of the United Nations, the world seems fixated on Jews, Israel, and Zionism. This obsession only confirms what the haters most wish to deny: Jewish centrality in the human story. The more furiously the world focuses on this tiny people and its historical homeland, the more it reinforces their significance. In their rage, they inadvertently grant Jews more power, not less.
Saperia emphasizes that there is no configuration of Jewish existence that satisfies the hater because the hater's problem was never with what Jews do. It is with what Jews are. This fundamental truth underscores the persistent and irrational nature of antisemitism, challenging societies to confront and address it head-on in an era where ancient hatreds continue to shape modern conflicts.
