When I saw the video of a Jewish man intentionally and viciously push down a nun in the Old City of Jerusalem earlier this week, and then return to kick her while she lay on the ground, I was sickened. What made me feel equally ashamed was the other Jewish man who stood there and looked on, doing nothing.

Both these men had violated the Torah in so many ways. They brought shame on our people and thus, shame on God’s name – chillul Hashem.

Sadly, this incident was not an isolated one. The desecration of Christian sites by Jews who claim in some way to be upholding Judaism, spitting on Christians, and disrespectful slanders of Islam and the Prophet Muhammed are frequent. The claim that they are born out of fear and ignorance no longer seems sustainable. In many cases, they come from a sense of self-righteousness and superiority – characteristics that the Torah abhors.

I was brought up to believe that in Judaism, we did not talk about “rights” but about “responsibilities.” Nevertheless, our responsibilities to uphold the dignity of the other and to pursue justice bestows, albeit indirectly, rights on others in our........

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