The Remark
“Look, I’m not trying to be offensive but, after all, he is a Jew.”
It was a beautiful winter afternoon in southern Israel, the thermometer climbing toward 80 degrees. I was sitting in a youth hostel with a group of about 10 people. We were an international smorgasbord of cultures, all meeting for the first time.
Among us were a young Israeli woman who had recently finished her military service; a youthful German college student on a short vacation; a twenty-something shy French Jewish man traveling to Israel for his first time; a boisterous extroverted man from the UK; and a handful of others, from various countries, including myself.
Spontaneous gatherings like this are the real charm of why some travelers are drawn to lodge in hostels. Social interaction in a hostel is unavoidable and as people strike up conversations, often others join. Soon one finds oneself engaged in conversations with topics and perspectives that may be enriching and challenging.
As we each grabbed a cup of coffee or tea freely provided to hostel guests, our group soon grew comfortable chatting with each other. Our interaction, punctuated with frequent laughter, included tips on where to go while in Israel, questions about one another’s backgrounds, and comparisons of cultures.
The young Israeli woman finished sharing an event or story, the details of which I do not recall. Then from *William came the words I do recall: the remark. “I’m not trying to be offensive, but after all, he is a Jew.”
No one had seen this coming – a sudden bucket of ice suddenly dumped on a warm chat. I scanned the eyes of everyone as the halting silence gripped us. My first glance was at the young Israeli woman who looked almost apologetic for possibly inviting “the remark.” The German student stared at the ground, The shy Frenchman appeared nonplussed, and his awkward look said, “Let’s act like nothing happened.” Others shifted nervously. The man who had made the remark seemed oblivious, as though we were all mates in a pub who would laugh or nod in agreement.
Inside, my mind screamed, That was not okay. My thoughts quickly raced. Should I react strongly? Confront, be the voice of outrage, accuse and shame him?
I remained silent, still, assessing. The man who made this remark truly had no clue he had offended anyone. He stood up and said, “I’m for another tea. Can I get something for anyone else?”
This was my chance. I followed him to the large hot water urn where the cups, tea, and instant coffee sat on a table. Smiling, he again offered to make tea or coffee for me.
This is the moment. “Hi William, we haven’t really met except all of us sitting together over there. Is it okay if we sit by that table and talk a few minutes?”
He readily assented. As we sat down, I noticed some of the others were still chatting where we had been sitting. One person wandered off while the young Israeli woman was looking at her phone. She glanced toward us for a moment, perhaps curious.
As I confronted William with the remark, he offered no defense, no pushback, no excuses. He seemed as stunned by my words as we had been by his. My initial outrage at William for his insensitivity began to turn to pity.
We had a long, fruitful conversation. I silently thanked God as William, with no prompting from me, stood up and walked straight over to the young Israeli woman. I could not hear their conversation but even from a distance I could see their emotion expressed in a conciliatory hug.
I talked with William a few more times over the next couple of days. I smiled on one occasion when I heard him speaking with a small group who had arrived at the hostel, informing them of his past ignorance in the way he had spoken about Jewish people. He now wanted to help others not make the same mistakes he had in the negative stereotypes he had held for years.
In the past two decades the Jewish community worldwide has experienced in some areas a very alarming rise in antisemitism. Hateful speech and anti-Jewish tropes soaked in the history of hatred for God’s chosen people are far too common today in social networks. Far worse are the physical assaults suffered by individuals simply because they are Jewish. And it’s not getting better – in North America[1] and Europe[2] primarily, where the largest diaspora communities dwell.
These are times in which believers need to be strong voices against this “oldest hatred” wherever it is encountered: in publications, on social media, or in person. Indeed, racism in any form is an offense against our Lord’s command: “Love one another.” How utterly wrong to claim to love Jesus and hate His people!
These are days in which we need to confront in love in hopes of bringing awareness to the offending person. What a victory when someone like William not only ceases from their offensive speech but also understands the pain and damage caused and seeks to rectify it.
A biblical proverb comes to mind: Listen to advice and accept discipline, so that you may be wise the rest of your days.[3]
Written by Jeff, LIFE staff
1) What negative stereotypes about others did you grow up with? How were Jewish people treated in your culture? By your family members?
2) What instances of racism, including antisemitism, are you observing?
3) How will you respond when the Holy Spirit prompts you to stand up for those being insulted, abused, or worse?
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/2021-online-antisemitism-report-card; https://nynj.adl.org/files/2021/04/2020-Audit-of-Antisemitic-Incidents.pdf.
[2] https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/17/europes-worrying-surge-antisemitism, https://www.jta.org/2021/01/08/global/in-germany-the-rise-of-anti-semitism-and-other-extremism-has-jews-questioning-their-future, https://www.jta.org/2021/05/13/global/european-jews-brace-for-antisemitic-attacks-spurred-by-gaza-conflagration.
[3] Proverbs 19:20 [NASB].