By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

The e-mail conversation occurred after I sent a coworker the headline “Brooklyn Pride interfaith service canceled, allegedly over host synagogue’s ‘pro-Israel positions.’” She wrote back wondering whether cancel culture was a good thing. While we all know people whose opinions we find difficult or abhorrent (depending on your point of view), I am not a supporter of cancel culture. I don’t think we all have to believe the same thing or accept the same ideas, which makes me an oddity in today’s society. 
This may also be partly because I have religious Christian friends who truly believe that Jesus is divine. Some also believe that you have to be Christian to get into heaven. (To my mind, that means hell will be a very interesting place, but I usually keep that thought to myself.) The idea of a human as God doesn’t resonate with me, but I realize that it means a great deal to them and accept that we will simply never agree on religion. It helps that I feel they mean well since I know they care about my well-being on earth and after death.
I could list other instances when I am open to people who believe ideas to which I don’t personally subscribe. As someone once said when talking about the paper, I definitely lean toward the left, although I see my politics as being based on my Jewish practice. After all, Judaism wants us to support social programs: we are supposed to help the poor, care for the sick and provide for those in need. However, I have friends whose politics lean toward the right and I accept that we will agree to disagree. I believe Judaism allows people the right to self-define their gender. After all, the ancient rabbis listed more than two genders in the Mishnah. But I realize that not everyone agrees with this. My concern is less with what they think than with providing equal rights and equal opportunities for all. You can think what you want, but you can’t discriminate or oppress others. That crosses a line. 
But I confess to being bothered by those who make Jews/Israel a special case. Let’s be clear: I support Israel’s right to exist. (Why does no one ask that about any other nation, no matter what it’s done?) I also oppose Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies because I think they are bad for Israel. I am not alone in that: numerous Israelis feel he should be less worried about waging war and remaining in office, and more concerned about getting the captives returned. (And as anyone who knows history knows, it is impossible to completely annihilate a political group. Killing innocent people while trying to do that just creates more recruits, if not for them, then for other radical groups.) 
Why is Israel a special case? Because people who disapprove of its policies sometimes take that as an excuse for open season on Jews. (Please note: not just Israelis, but all Jews.) A meme on Facebook did an excellent job explaining how this works: although Russia launched a war of aggression against Ukraine and has killed numerous civilians, and between 350,000-500,000 lives (depending on whose count you accept) were lost in Syria’s wars over the past 10 years, no one is murdering those of Russian descent or Syrian descent. But as the recent attacks on American Jews testify, it’s OK to shoot or firebomb Jews.
That fact that it has been acceptable to demonize Israel and say it doesn’t have a right to exist bugs the hell out of me. After all, it is one of the few nations in the world that was voted into existence by the United Nations. If we want to be fair and say that the Israelis moved there recently (although there has been a Jewish presence in the land since biblical times), everyone who lives in North and South America who does not have Native American blood should leave these shores and go back to where they came from. Even those who note in their addresses that where they live is on “unceded territory” (meaning land taken from Native Americans) don’t claim we all should move back to Europe, Asia or Africa.
(An additional note to those who cancelled the Brooklyn Pride interfaith service: I know it’s called pink washing, but if you are a member of the LGBTQ community, you can live freely and openly in Israel, but risk death in other Middle Eastern countries. But any good Israel does seems to be conveniently ignored.)
As noted above, my lack of tolerance can be explained by the recent attacks on American and other Jews, which have crossed the line between having different opinions and discriminating or oppressing others. When Jewish organizations send updated security information, when doors that were once open are now locked for our safety, when we have to look over our shoulders wondering if we and our friends and families are safe, when we continually have to debate how best to protect ourselves, that’s when my tolerance for differences ends.