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Being Jewish is about more than past suffering

Our habit of focusing on the dark side can overshadow our ability to celebrate thriving life

November 19, 2021 15:34
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3 min read

It would be the punchline to a groan-inducing joke if it weren’t so tragic. Recently, a rival claimant to the title of “last Jew of Afghanistan” emerged — a woman called Tova Moradi, now airlifted out — who apparently remained there longer than the erstwhile holder of the title, Zebulon Simentov. Even when it comes to an annihilated community, Jews will always find something to squabble about.

Of course, it’s not at all funny; it’s the death knell of a community dating back thousands of years. Its termination is just one tragic episode in a bleak, horrifying reality. But reading that Afghan Jews once numbered 50,000, it made me consider how we rarely focus on small, distinct diaspora communities other than when they are on the brink of disappearance.

Naturally, “last Jew of” is a better headline that “last 10,000 or even last 1,000”. But it speaks to a characteristic of Jewish life; we are good at dwelling on the stories of disaster and perhaps less so at sharing those that speak of hope and joy.

On childhood travels, it was common to visit places where Jewish life had died out — ghostly Jewish quarters, dilapidated cemeteries, abandoned synagogues. Trudging through centuries of persecution and placing stones on medieval graves? That’s just what Jews did when we were on holiday.