Many on campus may have seen the religious intolerance painted across the canon on Sunday. As two involved members of Hillel and future Jewish professionals, we couldn't have been more shocked and embarrassed by the actions of those who felt the need to use Judaism as a weapon against another's religious celebration.
To replace Easter messages with Jewish stars and a "Happy Passover" was completely inappropriate. Had the situation been reversed, and a Jewish message crossed out, no doubt we would have been hurt. For this reason, we feel it is our obligation to speak out against this act of ignorance.
On a holiday that has been used for a millennium to justify anti-Jewish sentiments, an action such as this does much more harm than good. Jewish and Christian communities have worked too hard in a sincere partnership to fight against the accusations that Jews are manipulative and deceptive. We have made so much progress and have done such good together that to create schisms not only negates this work but creates barriers for future progress as well.
In only this year, our two communities have worked together to create meaningful and powerful programs that have educated and empowered members of both Jewish and Christian communities (and beyond). The Moral Voices on Genocide initiative at Hillel experienced its first year and broke down religious walls. We brought people together from all faiths with the goal of addressing intolerance, ignorance and bigotry and with the aim of social change for the better. Paul Rusesabagina, a non-Jew, taught us that race, ethnicity and religion are inconsequential when it comes to speaking up for a moral cause. We find it significant that Hillel chose to bring a non-Jewish speaker, cementing that idea that we can look outside of our own communities for inspiration.
However, fighting intolerance moves beyond the Moral Voices campaign, beyond the Interfaith Thanksgiving, beyond interfaith Sukkah festivals and sharing in Ramadan Iftars, and is found in the very essence of the Jewish religion itself. If the people who painted over the cannon wanted to utilize the Jewish faith specifically for their message, then here you go:
The "Happy Passover" slogan was used inappropriately on the cannon. Passover is itself a holiday of tolerance and hope. It is about the deliverance from religious oppression and about the freedom we acquire when we part the seas of ignorance. Passover is our reminder that although we are free today, we once were enslaved in the land of Egypt. It is no surprise then that the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, means a narrow place. Pharoah feared and enslaved the Jewish people because he did not take the time to understand them. He is the archetype of xenophobia and hate. Egypt was, as the Hebrew word
suggests, a hotbed of narrow-mindedness.
For that reason alone, the Jewish tradition has imbedded many rituals into the framework of the Passover Seder meant to fight the ignorance displayed on the cannon. As Jews relive the plagues inflicted upon Egypt, we diminish the wine in our glasses to symbolize the fact that while we as Jews should celebrate our freedom, we must also mourn for misfortunes of all people on earth, even the enemies who enslaved us. As the seder comes to a close, we are commanded to open the door for anyone who may be hungry and in need of a meal. There are no strings attached to this act, no questions of religious affiliation. We don't proselytize. We invite anyone and everyone to share in our tradition. We invite everyone to step outside of religious restraints and enjoy one another, person to person.
Just as we Jews invite all who are curious to come experience our celebration, so did the original writers of the cannon share their experiences and sentiments with the greater campus community. A celebration of one's religion is not an attack on another's, and anyone who thinks this may not be as secure in his or her own religion as that person thinks.
Religious tolerance is not just accepting differences - it is learning about them, respecting them and embracing them. Just as we appreciated calls from our friends wishing us a Happy Passover last Wednesday night, we found it our obligation to wish a Happy Easter to our non-Jewish friends on Sunday. Both our religions subscribe to the idea that one must love his or her neighbor as himself. The text does not say "Love your Christian or love your Jewish brethren as yourself." This is because our faiths stress the need to step outside ourselves, to allow our neighbors, regardless of their religious affiliation, the same rights and freedoms that we ourselves embrace.
Therefore, as two aspiring Jewish professionals, we would like to end by sending our wishes of both Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those celebrating on campus and beyond.
Marc Katz is a senior majoring in comparative religion. Mara Judd is a senior majoring in anthropology and Judaic studies.
