OPINION: Is there any safe haven for Jews today?
Even when deep tensions exist we must focus on the process of reconciliation, argues Rabbi Marc Schneier
The recent firebombing at the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, a house of worship built by Holocaust survivors, left the Australian Jewish community and world Jewry in a state of outrage. This antisemitism attack follows the kidnapping and the killing of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates by terrorists.
I was personally overwhelmed by this tragedy as Rabbi Kogan, an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch organization in the United Arab Emirates, worked with our rabbinic team at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, assisting us in facilitating kosher food for Jewish fans in Doha.
Rabbi Kogan’s murder was preceded by another unspeakable antisemitic attack that took place, this time, in the heart of the European continent, where pro-Palestinian assailants hunted down and viciously assaulted Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team in the streets of Amsterdam, after a game between the Israeli team and a local team.
As we recount these and other recent antisemitic acts, is there any safe haven for Jews today?
Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam were yet another reminder that the current conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused heightened between Muslims and Jews in Europe, North America, the Middle East and other parts of the world, on campuses, in stadiums and even in the streets.
Yet, despite these challenging times, we must focus on the process of reconciliation. Muslims and Jews can find solace and inspiration in the biblical narrative describing the reconciliation between Isaac, patriarch of Judaism and his brother Ishmael, patriarch of Islam.
In the Book of Genesis, we encounter the powerful image of the two brothers burying their father Abraham together – signifying a profound healing and unity despite their earlier tensions – a powerful symbol for the potential reconciliation between Judaism and Islam – even when deep tensions exist – highlighting the importance of recognizing shared ancestry and finding common good despite historical and contemporary differences.
Today, I see this reconciliation through the prism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the pathway not only to regional peace, but it is also the conduit for a dramatic change in global Muslim-Jewish relations.
First and foremost, Saudi Arabia holds supreme religious significance for Muslims globally as the spiritual center of Islam, the custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. As such, its normalization with the Jewish State, would reverberate and resonate throughout the Muslim world, thus building strengthening interreligious cooperation between Muslims and Jews.
Embracing diplomatic ties with Israel would send a resounding message to 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide.
Similarly, for Jews world-wide, this normalization would offer a beacon of hope amidst longstanding tensions – a symbolic bridge toward reconciliation and mutual respect.
It is time to consider reconciliation rather than retribution between Jews and Muslims. The time for enmity is over. It is time to find another path, one of coexistence and cooperation.
The reconciliation in the Bible between Isaac and Ishmael. Yes, there was conflict and separation. But that was the beginning, not the end.
- Rabbi Marc Schneier is a noted adviser to many Gulf states and President of the New-York based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. He is the author of Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims
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