So What!

Look closely.
Do I look like I’m part of some cozy cabal
controlling commerce and the media,
pandemic policy and immigration injunctions,
and Hollywood hotshots and professional sports?
Am I part of a conspiracy
that dominated the African slave trade
and stole someone else’s Jewish identity?
These are not
designer jeans or handmade leather shoes or bespoke suits
that hang upon my bony frame.
I am not some fat cat made-of-money-mogul
that lives high on the hog oppressing others.
And yes,
a Jew is the NBA commissioner,
another is the CEO of Pfizer,
and another is an award-winning film producer.
But so what?
So what!

Look closely.
What you see are a people
who were barred from most occupations,
not allowed to own property,
and restricted from schools.
We are a people
who suffered adversity and assimilation,
exile and extermination,
again and again and again.
And yet, after each tragedy,
we renewed and reinvented ourselves.
We are a people
who gave the world the day of rest,
who introduced universal education in the first century,
and who breathed new life into an ancient language.
We introduced ethical monotheism,
embraced concepts of justice and compassion,
and established laws and courts.
We celebrate with
bagels and bialys,
cheesecake and chicken soup,
and lox and latkes.
What you see
is a religion that pre-dated
the Christians, the Muslims, and the Bahai,
and a culture that outlasted
the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans.
Don’t mistake our adaptability for fragility,
our dedication for deficiency,
or our generosity for weakness.
If you think we’ll go quietly,
think again.

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