Future of Jewish, Aug. 29, 2024
“… while we were distracted, living it up with our bagels and schmears and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” bingeing, the cabin pressure itself plummeted — and now, like George Costanza, we need to follow Liel Leibovitz’s advice, and “get out.””
Writer’s note: I have requested anonymity for this essay because there is intense social pressure on American Jews to be anti-Israel, especially on campuses. I am a professor at a liberal arts college where there is intense hostility toward Israel; my Zionism has already caused me to become a pariah on my campus.
If I was to publicly take the next logical step — conclude that drastic political changes are required to stem the public tide of Jew-hatred, even as drastic as supporting the presidential candidate “they” all uniformly despise — I sincerely believe my personal safety would be in question. That is why this essay both needs to be published and to be anonymous. The situation is that dire.
That somber moment when the flight attendant says, “Though we do not anticipate a change in cabin pressure,” so heavy with portent (at least for those of us with darker dispositions), and then the sage advice: “If you’re traveling with someone who may need assistance, put your own oxygen mask on first.”
Sage, if perhaps unnecessary, given the normal human instinct for self-preservation. I am reminded of the “Seinfeld” episode in which a fire breaks out at a children’s birthday party and George knocks children and elderly out of the way in order to escape. A moment of levity back then, the final calm, perhaps, before the storm, back when being Jewish was still somewhat cool..… [To read the full article, click here]
