Making oneself blind is a common defense that people use to avoid facing and dealing with difficult issues. We often hear people saying things like “they’re so blind to what’s happening” when describing those that they feel are not dealing with an issue that needs to be dealt with.
I am pleased to have been a part of a strong coalition that responded in a strong and united manner, making it clear that we demanded that Jewish students needed to feel safe on CUNY campuses and that we expected CUNY to institute measures to make this happen. I am proud that this forced CUNY to clear their “blindness” and promise to institute measures that would make it clear that antisemitism would not be permitted on its campuses. We need to maintain our united vigilance to ensure that this occurs.
But I cannot continue doing this alone. New York City’s leadership and vast Jewish population cannot sit idly by. We must stand up together and defend the Jewish community, both in and outside of our city. We need to be proactive; we cannot continue to live in a bubble, ignorant of the vile hate lurking outside of it. Every New Yorker, every Jew must fight to protect Jews here and elsewhere. If we retreat to our safe spaces in our homes, shuls and private Jewish organizations, we will lose our rightful place outside of them.
Tisha B’Av taught us that if we do not stand up as one, we will surely fall as one.
