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May 5, 2023 / 15 Iyyar 5783

וְלֹ֤א תְחַלְּלוּ֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֔י וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃
You are not to profane my holy name, 
that I may be hallowed amid the Children of Israel; 
I am YHWH, the one-who-hallows you.
[Leviticus 22:32]

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Joseph Ibn Hayyim marks the beginning of Torah Portion Emor (אֱמֹר) with a very anxious dragon. Bodleian library, MS Kennicott 1; ‘The Kennicott Bible’; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.71v

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Hod – Counting the Omer – Carly Goldberg:

I appreciate being invited by Rabbi David to offer some thoughts on this week’s middah, Hod. 

Hod seems to have numerous meanings and interpretations but the one I will be focusing on today is the idea of humility and surrender. 

In my pursuit of all things social justice and social change, I have always thought of my professional career and spiritual life as one and the same. The way in which I enter a relationship with the divine or the natural world is the same way in which I engage with some of society’s most marginalized and vulnerable individuals, families, groups, and communities. Despite my deeply intentional spiritual and professional liberatory practices, it has only been within the last six months that I have come to realize a deep calling to humility and surrender around my identity as a white Jewish woman. 

You see, I believed that I had been practicing anti-racism my entire life. I mean, I am a nice Jewish girl from the NJ/NY area of the United States, raised with liberal values and a kind heart; of course I am not racist. Well, after reading the book White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira Rao and watching the documentary Deconstructing Karen, I have come to know with immense clarity that I am in fact racist. Even more stunning has been the realization of all the ways I as a white woman uphold white supremacy and perpetuate harm to Black, brown, indigenous people of color (BIPOC), my own self, and other white people.  

Now, you may be thinking, “Carly, I know you! You are committed to the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. How can you be racist?” 

This was a question I spent quite some time wondering about myself! You see, if you are born and/or raised in the United States, racism, especially anti-black racism, is the air we breathe and the water we swim in and it is not our fault. This is how our country was designed and the status quo continues to be maintained. 

Also, you may be thinking “Carly, you are JEWISH! How can you possibly uphold white supremacy?”

This was a concept that, when introduced to me eight years ago, literally took my breath away! 

I gasped out loud and immediately thought, I am not a neo-nazi with a shaved head or a member of the KKK who wears a white hooded robe and runs around with tiki torches. How can I uphold white supremacy? Well, I learned that in order to maintain many comforts and safety in my life I need to maintain my proximity to power – white power.  

Even more complicated is how it is possible that we as white Jews are able to be both a member of an oppressed group and an oppressor. As Jews we experience heartbreaking and unthinkable acts of anti-semitism. And, as white Jews in the United States, we benefit from the safety and privilege of whiteness. As Regina Jackson says in the documentary Deconstructing Karen, “in this country we created the criminalization of Black people. And when your skin is seen as a weapon, you’re never unarmed.” 

Recognizing our own racism and investigating the ways white Jews uphold white supremacy such as staying silent in situations where speaking up would disrupt racist behavior or questioning the belonging of Jews of color in our own synagogues and communities are just a couple of ways our whiteness can uphold white supremacy and cause harm.

As I continue on my own journey to surrender to ideas that I once thought were “just how things are” and embrace a deep humility as I work to unlearn my internalized racism, I would like to invite you to do that same. Though the literal words I am using may feel jarring or difficult to grasp, that’s ok. This work is hard and messy and requires a bit (or a lot) of intellectual wrestling, soul searching, and time. The work in and of itself, however, won’t break or harm us. It will only lead us to opportunities for continued growth, revelation and healing.

So, you may be asking yourself, NOW WHAT? 

My invitation to you:

During this introspective time on the Jewish calendar and as we approach Shavuot, a time to prepare our bodies, minds, and spirits to receive Torah, we grapple with challenging texts and welcome our own revelatory experience. 

With the resources below, I invite you to think about the ways you can prepare to take on the work of antiracism and racial justice within yourself and with our Beth Am Israel community. 

  • Use Sylvia’s Duckworth’s Wheel of Power and Privilege here and consider the ways you benefit from proximity or lack thereof to whiteness. Hint: both things can be true at the same time. 
  • Get involved! Speak with me (Carly Goldberg) or Donna Kirschner, Inclusion Committee co-chairs, to arrange for engaged and introspective community learning.

Shabbat Shalom!