The American Jewish community has lived by an unspoken bargain through our nation’s history. If we work hard and give back through civic leadership, philanthropy and joining other communities in their own fights for social justice, we would prove our value. The discrimination against us would be finished for good.

But given how antisemitism has skyrocketed since October 7, 2023, that bargain has been exposed as a myth. We cannot achieve our way out of the prejudice against us. We cannot “out-success” hatred. We have no other choice but to stand openly and proudly as Jews.

I often think of the actress Alex Borstein and the speech she gave at the Emmys in 2019. She told the story of her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, who was standing in line at the edge of a pit, waiting to be shot by the Nazis. Her grandmother turned to a guard and asked, “What happens if I step out of line?” The guard said, “I don’t have the heart to shoot you, but someone else will.” And she stepped out of line.

Alex’s grandma Naji walked away and survived. Because of that act of defiance, her granddaughter was able to stand on a stage in Hollywood decades later. Alex’s message: “Step out of line.”

For us, the line is assimilation. It is the quiet path of blending in and hoping we aren’t noticed. But we have learned that the line doesn’t lead to safety; it leads to the slow erasure of our identity and, eventually, to our vulnerability. Stepping out of line – standing apart and being unapologetically Jewish – is not just an act of pride. It is our survival.

If we are to find our own way out of the line of assimilation, we have to be honest about three things:

First, the evidence:  Why hasn’t our success bought us the forever immunity........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)