Why the Jewish People Survive

If you’re looking for a miracle, you need look no further than the Jewish People. In looking back at our devastating and storied past of more than three millennia, it would seem we should have disappeared from history a long time ago. 

In the words of Mark Twain, “The Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greeks and Romans followed and made a vast noise, and they were gone…The Jew saw them all, survived them all.”

These powerful empires had lasted hundreds of years and then vanished while the Jews have prevailed. Why? 

Some would say it’s due to our covenant with G-d. We read in the Book of Genesis G-d’s promise to protect us, but in exchange we were required to teach the world morality, kindness, justice, and the importance of the sanctity of life. This has made us a sort of public relation agent for G-d. 

To influence this change, we had to assimilate in these foreign cultures, but this has been a long and onerous task. Throughout history our people have witnessed and been victims of the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the recent Holocaust and subject to exile and slaughter. We have been and reviled around the world but yet we survive. The irony of Spinoza’s writings ring true: “…Gentile hatred towards the Jews had the effect of preserving their identity.” 

Even after the church and the state confined Jews to the ghetto, denied them the right to work and burned their books in bonfires making an intentional spectacle to demonstrate their power and control, we still survive after 3000 years. How is that possible?

Our enemies wanted to obliterate us like Roman Emperor Hadrian who made the practice of Judaism illegal and made intermarriage between Christians and Jews punishable by death. In 1290 King Edward I of England issued the Edict of Expulsion ousting all Jews, and we can never forget the horror of the recent century with Hitler’s genocide. 

While living under authoritarian governments of Christians and Muslims, Jews were forced to adhere to a body of ritual practices that highlighted their minority status. In Christian societies Jews were blamed for killing Jesus accusing them of the crime of “deicide” resulting in social segregation and violence preventing their inclusion into mainstream society. The resulting antisemitism still continues to this day with the recent slaughter last year, October 7th on Simchat Torah where 1,139 innocent Jews were “justifiably” murdered by Hamas.

Perhaps there is truth in the idea that we have survived because of G-d’s protection. But it may also be attributed to our ethics grounded in compassion; our belief in Tikkun Olam, to repair and improve the world through justice and kindness.

We have prevailed and the tide of destructive influences are slowly changing. If you visit Yad Vashem you will learn of the “The Righteous Among the Nations,” men and women who have worked to save Jewish lives. It features historical figures who were “favorably inclined” toward the Jews such as those who rescued and helped them during the Holocaust, risking their own lives; Cyrus the Great of Persia who gave the Jewish people permission to return to Israel to rebuild the Holy Temple, and the United States’ precious Constitution that guarantees religious freedom to all.  So our message continues to spread and non-Jews have joined the call to create a decent society providing protection and a platform to speak with respect for all. 

As the High Holidays approach, and the year anniversary of October 7th is upon us, we pray for the souls of those mercilessly slaughtered. We pray for a New Year with understanding replacing hate where we can live together in peace.  I encourage you to consider your personal plans to improve your own corner of the world; it could be as simple as a smile to a passing stranger or as complex as establishing a fund to fight cancer. Our survival, as a people, depends on our love of life and understanding of others. 

Michael Thal is the author of The Lip Reader, an inspirational novel about a deaf woman.