This past week we became aware of even more atrocities committed in our own country to black people.
My world is rattled because simple things that are the foundation of my beliefs and of how I see my religion are not reflected in people’s behavior.
My understanding of what it means to be a human being in this world comes from the first chapter of the Hebrew Bible. We read in Genesis 1:27:
And God created the human being in God’s image, in the image of God, God created the human being; male and female God created them.
According to Judaism, the human being, created from the ground (the word in Hebrew for ground/earth is Adamah, and the word for human being is Adam), is created in male and female form, in the image of God. The Rabbis of the Talmudic period expanded this concept to mean that no one can say that they are better than the other, since we all come from the same ancestry. Furthermore, even though we are all unique, we are all created in the image of God. In Judaism, our color, our gender, our sexuality, our abilities, our bodies, our minds, and our beliefs all come from the same source, God.
For many years I resisted the idea that the color of one’s skin should determine the way in which that person should be treated. In my naiveté, I could not understand why a person would be treated differently because they are black. I thought that we were all the same, as my tradition had taught me, and that people who would treat anyone else as inferior because of the color of their skin were just plain wrong. I still believe that, to a certain extent. Yet now I understand that there are things that happen to black human beings that do not happen to me, based solely on the color of my skin. I am not followed in stores and treated as a criminal just because of the color of my skin. I am not regarded as a natural participant in a violent scene. No one thinks I can handle more pain because of the color of my skin and give me different care in a hospital. I am mostly not stopped for traffic violations, and I am not considered guilty until proven innocent (in blatant violation of American Law). Of course, as a Latino Jewish woman, I have suffered my share of prejudice, and my family has suffered in the very recent past the horrors of antisemitism. History has taught me that whenever we see others monolithically, when we judge people because they are part of a group and not because of who they are as individuals, trouble ensues. This is what has been happening for a long time, continuing to this day, to black people in America. Judging people by the color of their skin is unacceptable. Acting towards others because of generalizations about the color of their skin is wrong. Yet it happens every day. For that reason, while my tradition has taught me that we are all individuals created by God, in the image of God, and not to judge human beings for the color of their skin, I have learned that there is no such thing as being colorblind when it comes to skin color. The USA has experienced a pandemic of racism for a long time. Add to that the fears, the economic insecurity, the health threats, and the exploitation of all these issues for political gain and we have an explanation for the civil unrest we are experiencing. I am angry that it is the year 2020 and we are still plagued by racism. I am angry that there are those who fuel divisiveness for political and economical gains. And I am angry that black lives are constantly in danger. I do not want to see another disregard for human life as we have seen again and again.
According to the Medieval Jewish sage Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, the Rambam, the process of true repentance begins when one acknowledges their mistakes, apologizes for what they did, and when faced with the same situation, do not repeat their actions. I have recognized and acknowledged my naiveté. I am outraged that we still are not experiencing a time of mutual respect and understanding. I add my voice to all those who are screaming against the injustices and blatant disregard for human life that defines America in 2020. And I commit to being conscious of inner biases. I realize I will not be perfect, that I am prone to making mistakes. There is no choice, however. If I want a better world soon, I have to commit to facing uncomfortable truths now.