Renewing Your Judaism

Daniel Caplan, Joint Program with Columbia University (Class of 2025), Student Body President of List College.

The High Holidays focus on teshuvah and starting anew; however, as I reflect on the explosive past year that the Jewish people have faced, neither of these traditional Rosh Hashanah values offer me much comfort or guidance on how to move forward. When I return to Columbia University’s campus this semester, am I supposed to forgive my peers for making me feel unwelcome at my own college? Sure, Judaism teaches us to forgive others—but only after an apology has been given. Yet it also doesn’t feel very “Jewish” to hold onto these feelings of resentment.

This tension between forgiving and holding onto feelings of frustration and hurt is something I imagine many Jews are grappling with this new year, regardless of their perspectives on the state of Israel. This past year has been stained by the perpetual rise in antisemitism at both the community level and on a global scale. I lost friendships because of my connection to Israel; I was held to different academic standards by professors than my non-Zionist peers, and I felt I had to be quiet about my identity. Other college students faced greater challenges—being spit on, facing violence, or abandoning their campuses before the semester was over. And yet, it would be extremely unproductive and harmful for any of us to hold onto these experiences and allow them to feed feelings of fear or anger.

As we enter this next year, we shouldn’t see it as a blank slate, but rather look at Rosh Hashanah as our chance to renew our covenant with God and Judaism. Taking the experiences, conversations, and knowledge of the past year gives us the background to recommit to our Judaism with a more holistic perspective. While you reflect on your actions in 5784, I urge you all to consider what it means to renew yourself to the covenant in 5785. In doing so, you are committing yourself to an ethno-religion that impels you to strive to repair the world, lead with kindness, and encourage deep questioning. I learned this past year that our connection to our religion and Israel is not easily understood or easily explained. However, to successfully combat the implicit, subconscious antisemitism that has been spreading through America, we must have the strength and patience to have difficult conversations, to help others understand. And while this is no easy task, it can be remedied by returning to our core Jewish values, working to goals of mutual respect and understanding. As we face what may be another difficult year for the Jewish people, it is important to hold these values in mind as we work towards a more caring, understanding society.

Back to Glimmers of Light: Reflections on Hope for the Days of Awe 5785